Magical Mayhem - Part 2 - Twisted Sisters
by manga ranga
Summary: After the Lightning Queen's attack on the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario and co seek out the Arcane Princess to help the power struggle between the magical monarchs. Soon it appears that the only way to stop the Lightning Queen is to rebuild the ancient relic, the Prism Star, which is hidden in pieces across the land.
1. Recovery

The blue light emanated from the television, casting shadows through the living room. The screen flickered with a marathon of shows as Toadette and Waluigi lounged on the couch. Neither of them dared to sit in Wario's favourite armchair, they could not stand the stench of it. Even now, he was in his room snoring his head off to recover from being poisoned. The room was a mess of unsorted treasure and garbage overflowing the bin in the corner. It had reached a point where it could sustain a piranha plant rather well and it did. The plant in question was happily snapping at the air and wavering about in its makeshift pot.

Toadette took a swig from the beer Waluigi offered her "So… wait, what's happening in this show?"

He sneered "You've just watched ten episodes of it."

"I know, I still don't get it."

"Alright, basically Countess Flora and Amber died at the same time, but Amber's soul returned to Flora's body. At the same time Flora's husband is planning to elope with her twin sister who is only doing it to get the estate. Amber's boyfriend is preparing a vendetta against the Count because his poor maintenance of the town resulted in her death. Oh, and Polterpup is a ghost detective trying to work out why souls are being returned at random."

Toadette scrunched her face up "Seriously? How did you make any sense of this? This soap opera is crazy."

"It's from Sarasaland, they know how to do a good drama."

"I don't know if it's good, it's like when Wario took over that Silver Zephyr show. It was like a car crash, I couldn't look away but I'm still intrigued."

"Well," Waluigi glanced around "I'm sure that Telmet thing is in the mess somewhere. You could always go into the TV and ask the characters what's going on?"

"Yeah, I'm not falling for that one. Who's to say you won't turn the TV off the moment I'm gone?"

He smirked innocently, feigning shock "Would I do something like that?"

Toadette erupted into wicked laughter from his query. At least he was honest enough to admit he was untrustworthy. With Wario and Waluigi, you knew what you were in for because you always trust them to do the more morally dubious thing. They were actually much easier to hang out with as Toadette rarely understood the actions of her fellow Toads.

Their peace was disturbed by frantic stomps charging down the stairs. Finally the cacophony ceased as Wario skidded through the doorway. His eyes were as big as saucers and he was wildly gesturing to a strange tome in his hand. The page was open to reveal an unusual crest of a lightning bolt striking a rune circle. He proclaimed "I knew I've seen that stupid symbol before! And I knew I heard the name Darius too!"

"Shouldn't you be… I dunno, resting or something?" Waluigi folded his arms over his chest "And keep it down, I'm watching my stories."

"Yeah, go lie down again. The doctor pulled that huge stinger out of your arm." Toadette gestured to the item in question that was now mounted proudly on the wall along with other abnormal animal remains.

"NO! No stories! This is real!" Wario slammed his fist on the television, cracking the screen to Waluigi's dismay. He brandished the journal in question; it was so ancient it looked like it would crumble to dust if you sneezed on it.

Toadette could not identify any of the symbols on its cover "What kind of crazy book is that?"

"What can I say? My ancestors were awesome with a rich history of looting and pillaging." Wario flicked through the pages "This is a record of my ancestor, Darius the Decapitator, who was a barbarian warlord. Now come on, do you see where I get my manly awesome-ness?"

While Toadette did her best to not vomit at the thought, Waluigi raised an eyebrow "How did you get the patience to sit down and translate an ancient text? Is it mostly pictures?"

Wario frowned to sarcastically remark "Ha, ha, very funny. Just like that time you introduced yourself to people as my imaginary friend."

Waluigi smirked "I thought it was hilarious."

"Getting back to the book," He punched Waluigi in the back of the head "I didn't, what kind of sucker do you take me for? Another one of my ancestors did the work for me. Anyway, I keep it safe to look for any rare treasures from ancient civilisations that might be floating around."

Waluigi rubbed the back of his head "As they do."

"Exactly, that they do." Wario smirked, showing the page with the lightning insignia "This is the mark of some noble from the Arcane Kingdom. Anyway, a guy like that would be raking in the moo-lah. I reckon that lady from the castle is none other than his descendent… but it was weird how she called me Darius… But… maybe that just means she knows about him?"

"That is kinda weird, why would she call you the name of your ancestor? You must really look a lot like him… wait, how old would this lady have to be to actually know your ancestor?"

"Regardless this means, she's probably got all the loot hidden away somewhere, just begging to be taken!" He paused as he flipped to another page "But, there's something weird in this journal too, at the back, written in invisible ink you need a black light to see." His brow furrowed "Something about beware the woman with a hand of crystal, you cannot trust her." He shrugged and snapped the book shut "Probably a mistranslation."

Waluigi examined his own hands "Hand of crystal? How would you bend your fingers?"

"I know, it sounds ridiculous, but hey. Looks like we gotta go find her! Then she will give me all the treasure she keeps!"

Toadette beamed as she sat on the edge of her seat "So you guys are going on a treasure hunt? Preferably for a very long time?"

Wario was immediately suspicious "Yes? What of it short-stuff?"

She innocently offered "Well, I could always castle-sit for you."

"Not a chance in hell."

"Why not?" Toadette pouted, applying her best adorable puppy eyes.

"Get that cute glittery stuff off your face! I know what you're like."

"But I'm really good at house sitting."

"You hosted a rave last time you did that!"

"As a welcome home party, remember, we exploded a bunch of glow sticks."

"That was fun, but no! You didn't stick around for the clean-up."

Waluigi interjected "Neither did you, I got stuck with it!"

"Well you shouldn't have been dancing and playing pinball so much! You would've seen everyone cheesing it!"

"I needed to defend my title of Pinball Wizard!"

"Alright Wario, I didn't want to do this but you gave me no choice." Toadette walked over to the phone and started dialling a number.

Wario stomped over, ripping the phone out of the wall "What are you doing!?"

"Just giving your workers over in Diamond City a call, how long has it been since they were paid? Perhaps I should call the tax men too!"

"You wouldn't dare." Wario glared her down.

She growled right back at him "Try me."

* * *

"Right, we're here to find Syrup, her boat is still here so she can't be too far away." Wario laughed upon entering the main square of Rogueport.

Caravans of supplies were making their way down the main road towards the Mushroom Kingdom. The hotels were also booked out completely as wealthier displaced citizens demanded luxury to accompany their wait for the restoration of their homes. A few disgruntled Toads meandered through the markets, having been informed the rooms were all taken. Slowly, but surely, they gravitated towards the Pianta district of town, where the bars never closed and gambling was always available.

Waluigi frowned "I can't believe you were scared out of your own house by a pink, cute, mushroom girl… who is oddly terrifying…"

"Nope, didn't happen. I came here of my own free will. So shut up, you stinking liar."

"You're the only one with BO around here, Wario."

They progressed to the dock to find the Sweet Stuff with no sign of Syrup or a guard to watch the ship. Wario and Waluigi smirked to each other knowingly. Sure, you got more treasure by plundering alone but at the end of the day, someone needs to look out for you. They both boarded the ship and waited in the cabin.

The stench of garlic made her eyes water. Syrup could not believe this. She had spent the day procuring supplies for her voyage only to find her ship commandeered by a pair of worthless landlubbers. It was tempting to just fire a cannon at her cabin door but that would result in damages she did not have time for. The sooner she set sail, the better. Instead she kicked the door down, startling Waluigi to fall from his chair.

Wario remained by a nearby chest "Thought you could skip town, aye?"

She eyed the room critically to see nothing had been stolen or even shifted aside from a bottle of rum and some glasses. Syrup stood toe to toe with Wario "What are you two landlubbers doing here?"

"Treasure!" Wario then noticed Waluigi in the background shrugging and rolling his eyes. "I mean, we need this boat to get to treasure."

Syrup growled "Oh really? And where could this treasure be?"

"The Arcane Kingdom, but there's rumours of it being dangerous by land or air. But nothing about sea, so if you can take us around the coast."

"I see." Syrup stroked her jawline "Fine."

"Oh no, we're not sharing it with yo-" Wario blinked "Wait, what? You agreed?"

"Yes."

He looked to Waluigi who only looked perplexed. Wario blurted out "Seriously?"

"Well, if you don't shut up about it, I'll take it back and fire you from my cannon."

"HA! None of your cannons are big enough to fit me!"

"Doesn't mean I couldn't fire your creepy friend into you and send you flying."

Waluigi remarked "How about you don't do that."

"Other than that, get to work swabbing the deck! If you're travelling with me, you gotta pull your weight." Syrup commanded before she left the cabin. At least she now had bait to lure the Giant Bloopers out, making her voyage to Rhapsody just that little bit safer. If she was lucky, she could easily acquire squid related products to sell off upon arrival.

Waluigi added "Wait… I thought you had a crew…"

"I acquired more treasure maps from a friend here so they took the SS Teacup on a separate voyage. Now it's just me and my personal ship."

Waluigi and Wario exchanged uneasy looks; they both knew Syrup was up to something. It was in her nature to never be clear about her intentions. Presently they could not complain having secured relatively safe passage through Blooper infested waters. On second thought, perhaps this was not the greatest plan they had ever crafted.

* * *

The warp pipe melodically chimed as it emerged from the earth amidst the ancient ruins. Mario was the first to emerge as he bounded to the grass. Looking around, he could see the far off ruins where the karting course was located. Presently they appeared to be on the fringe of the older ruins that led deep into the mountains. Now that he considered it, he had no idea who originally made this place or why they would choose Thwomps to build it. Beneath the afternoon sun, it looked more like a graveyard for those sentient stones. The moss grew over their corpses like a tumour. The trails of fabric fluttering from their columns appeared tattered and dappled the light.

He then noticed a strange flock of creatures wandering through the mountainous terrain with ease. They were covered in curly wool like a sheep but much larger. Although the elongated neck tipped off it was something unusual. "Weegee, what is that? Is it some kind of cow or sheep?"

"Huh?" Luigi noticed the creature in question "Oh, I think that's a llama."

"A llama?"

"Yes, a llama."

"Oh…" Mario nervously waved to one of the beasts that had noticed them "Hello llama?"

Peach cooed as she approached them with Daisy in tow "Aw, aren't they adorable!"

Luigi then asked the others "Why exactly are we here anyway? Aren't we supposed to be heading to the Arcane Kingdom?"

"Yes, we can pass through these mountains to reach the Arcane Kingdom. It's the only guaranteed passage."

"How so?"

"Air travel is out of the question and the ocean is too dangerous to cross. But Toadsworth informed me of this passage before we left." Peach opened the locket dangling from a gold chain around her neck "This compass is an old relic, apparently it guides you to the Arcane Kingdom."

Daisy raised an eyebrow, glancing at the strange pendant as it swirled with neon lights "Where exactly did this relic come from?"

"No idea, Toadsworth brought it to my attention. Apparently it was in the castle's archives." The compass pointed towards a maw of stone in the distance, Peach blindly trusted its discretion and headed onwards.

"Doesn't anyone else think that's a little weird?" Daisy remarked to no one in particular as they followed after her.

The light of day and the packs of llamas were left in the distance. The ominous opening in the side of the mountain howled with a gentle moan. Peach stopped momentarily to look at the compass, the relic glowed brightly, illuminating their path. The floor was partially cobbled but dirtied by piles of soil and sand that had flooded in with time. The walls were smooth yet blemished by cracks as the roots of plants dared to invade. The corridors were narrow yet reached to impossible heights into the darkness. The wind dropped to a dying whisper and beckoned them to come closer.

Peach felt an assertive hand rest on her shoulder, she looked down to see Mario smiling back at her. In that moment all fears of progressing onwards vanished. So long as he was here, she felt she could do anything. Together they ventured forth, the corridors widening out into a stone labyrinth of partially sunken temples. Although it was near impossible to even see the floor of the cavern.

Mario remarked as they walked onwards "Wow, looks like this place was some ancient sanctum!"

Peach said aloud "I wonder what it was used for and what civilisation lived here."

"How can you not be weirded out by this place? I'm getting really creepy vibes." Luigi shivered, his anxieties were building as his imagination toyed with the darkness. It looked like the perfect place for a nightmarish ghost to lie in wait.

"I don't think there's anything to fear down here." Daisy added confidently "Looks like no one's been down here for centuries."

"I'm not so sure about that." Mario gestured them to catch up to him and Peach.

On a nearby pillar and on the floor were a series of claw marks in the wall. Some were scribbled out, like the owner of them was navigating their path by trial and error. The markings on the pillar were used as a point of reference to make sure they were not going in circles. They were also slightly masked by a thick layer of dust and sand.

Peach examined them carefully "These look pretty recent, well, compared to the rest of this place."

Luigi proclaimed "I knew there was something down here!"

Daisy corrected "No, it just means someone came down here recently."

"Well, hopefully they've moved on. The only thing I can think of that can scratch stone that easily would be either Bowser or…" Luigi stopped as a chill crawled down his spine.

"A Koopaling." Mario's brow furrowed "That means Bowser may already be on the move."

Daisy suggested "Or he was already on the move, long before we caught wind of all this. Maybe Bowser and the Lightning Queen are allies?"

"No way, it looked like Ludwig had changed sides to go with the Lightning Queen. She and Bowser even seemed to know each other and they hate each other from the looks of things."

"So… in all the time you've known Bowser, he's never mentioned this Lightning Queen?"

"Yeah, it's weird because he even knew her name, Diabella. He also mentioned how Diabella took someone called Lucia away from him…"

Luigi sighed and scratched his head "I knew Bowser had a fling with someone called Clawdia but I've never heard of a Lucia."

"All the more reason to reach Princess Shalazia as soon as possible. Maybe this Diabella is more dangerous than we thought if she can make Bowser panic like that." Peach nodded to herself. She noticed how the marking that remained unscathed pointed in the same direction as the compass. They recomposed themselves before heading deeper into the sunken ruins.


	2. Buried truths

Deep within the sanctum, away from the gaze of bystanders, collected a group of individuals. They sat on the sandy floor of the inner chamber with lanterns to illuminate the chamber. It was secluded and a well kept secret among them. A lethal labyrinth of shadows resided beyond the geometric frame of the doorway. Fatal drops around every turn, every broken stairwell and every false door. The halls moaned like an ungodly monster when the wind turned. Ghoulish fungi reared their ugly heads in the damper areas while turquoise mould grew along the natural rock that jarred between the ruins. Rather than provide comforting light, it only cast an eerie and foreboding haze in the air. Despite this danger, she still came to survey the ruins for answers. It was better than risk being discovered in the underbelly of the Arcane Kingdom.

Scaramouch's brow furrowed "Nothing adds up… Everyone in the Arcane Kingdom is… an illusion or in the process of being frozen to death… How is someone even capable of such evil?"

"It's because Shalazia is a relic of the Era of Ire." Fandango then appeared in the doorway ushering in a wave of silence. Scaramouch turned and waited with bated breath, the strange Shy Guy was regarded as a herald of warning. "Relax, no one else followed you here."

"Is it wrong that I want to know what's going on? At first I tried to save people from Shalazia's grasp but the moment we left the city they just… melted into water…"

"She's using old magic to keep living in her glory days. She can't adapt or change with the times like Diabella can."

"I know Diabella has negative lives… even if I don't know how. I also know that Gallileo and you followed Diabella from the Underwhere and that Magnifico has undergone some pact to become like Diabella too… Figaro on the other hand, he's a glitch isn't he? A failed respawning which is why he has no voice. But I…"

"Scaramouch, you know if you ask Diabella she will tell you everything you want to know."

"But at what price? I've worked out Shalazia and Diabella are sisters, they're monarchs of the ancient Arcane Kingdom and they've dealt with both the Dark Star and the Shadow Queen. I've also worked out that King Boo knows them both and was alive during their reigns."

"You still don't have the details, right?"

"No, but I think the turning point has something to do with this Prism Star. It comes up a lot in the records."

"Scaramouch, none of us will ever force your hand or make you join us… that's your call." He announced "Anyway I heard something in the upper levels so you need to head out. I'll distract them while you all evacuate."

Scaramouch smiled gratefully, her dismal mood had swayed from the turn in discussion by her colleague. The Arcane Kingdom was a gilded cage, although no one would openly admit it for fear of being executed. When guards kept arresting scholars who were curious of the city and strange ailments, Scaramouch had relocated her inquiries to the relative safety of this sanctum. The location of which was provided by Diabella while Fandango volunteered as the lookout. Now she had been given the warning, all she could do was put out her lanterns and wait in the darkness for a moment to escape.

* * *

The darkness suffocated them beneath the forgotten city. Luigi had never felt so isolated in all his life. Despite the fact that his brother and friends were around him, there was a fear perched on his shoulders like a bird of prey. There was something primordially wicked in the air, that sent shivers down his spine. He always assumed his journey through King Boo's manors would be the most terrifying events of his life. Now he was not so sure, were they really meant to be down here? It felt like they were trespassing and might anger some ancient beast from its slumber. He even lacked the courage to look beyond the platforms and walkways. There was something primordial lurking in the depths, something that should have been forgotten eras ago. Luigi took a few deep breaths, surely his mind was toying with him.

Nevertheless, Peach and Mario continued onwards with trust in the magic compass. The flickering beam of light guided them safely through the crumpled buildings. Both were a few steps ahead, relishing the jaunt through the city. If only he could stop feeling this fear. He felt a hand take his and Daisy's smiling face could be seen in the gentle glow of the bioluminescent moss. She pointed to the source of light "Isn't it beautiful? That with all these creepy ruins, that something like that can happen."

The pockmarked slate resembled the spine of a monster. Flecked upon its surface was a forest of mould glistening in the darkness with cerulean light. Luigi marvelled at the patchwork of blues "I guess so… that's really amazing."

"It sure is, buddy." Luigi and Daisy both screeched at the third voice. He tripped over his own feet when he saw the horned Shy Guy appear behind them. Its mask was articulated into a horrific smile. "I'm Fandango by the way, pleasure to meet you both."

"Luigi! Daisy!" Peach called from the distance, her heels clacked on the stone ground.

Fandango bounced backwards to avoid the stomp attack from Mario. He giggled maniacally at his opponent while his cloth covered hands reached to his mask.

Mario then saw the glimmer of a familiar emblem on the collar of Fandango's overcoat. Rage overcame him at the thought of what had transpired in the Mushroom Kingdom. With fury, he demanded "You work for the Lightning Queen!? How many cronies does she have!?"

"Work for? Puh-lease, we're equals my moustachioed idiot."

"So when I beat you, you'll give me answers! Like why are you terrorising Princess Shalazia!?"

Fandango confidently laughed in his face "Yeah, whatever, sport. Do good hero-types like you need to learn not to impulsively intervene. For your own safety I would recommend forgetting about that princess, go home and have a tea party."

"Forget it! I'd never abandon someone in need of help."

"Wow, you're as thick as a stick in pig swill, aren't you?" Fandango tittered, madly circling around a nearby pillar like a hyperactive child "You're on our side of the world now, this land has been tainted by ancient, lost magic so I don't think you're gonna like what you find here."

Mario's patience had worn down by then, he prepared to strike once again, ignoring Daisy's warning "Cover your eyes!"

Peach only just reached the area to witness the horror of what lied beyond a Shy Guy's mask. Mario had no idea what he was looking at. The hood was propped up by a tangle of tentacles and twitching limbs encased in exoskeleton. They slowly unfurled from their compressed arrangement behind the mask. There was no discernable face to even identify. A high pitched squeal cackled from an unknown mouth. Mario and Peach found themselves immobilised by the sound and sight of Fandango.

While his foes were incapacitated, Fandango ran ahead, snatching the compass from Peach's hands. He jested "It's funny how stupid you all are." Then stomped on the compass with his heavy boot and ground it into shards. He continued to laugh as he vanished into the ruins.

"Why'd he do that?" Luigi was flabbergasted as he pulled his cap away from his eyes. He then ran over to Mario and Peach to ensure they were alright. The momentary stun had worn off as they nervously looked over their shoulders.

"How did he freeze us like that?" Mario flexed his arms to check for injuries "It doesn't make any sense."

"Because you can't look at their faces for more than a split second without freezing up like that."

Daisy nervously informed "Shy Guys actually shy at all, it's just, they're living nightmares that have somehow reached the waking world… so they wear robes and masks to look presentable. Very few are actually willing to take them off."

Mario raised an eyebrow "How do you know that?"

"The Pionpi told me."

"You let the Pionpi stay in Sarasaland!?"

"They really like the Chai Kingdom and they're pretty nice once you get to know them."

Peach looked at the smashed remains of the compass "What are going to do now? We're completely at a loss."

In the background Luigi had found an old metal torch. He took the relic close to rock lined with moss, scraping pieces of the glowing lichen into the metal cage. It proved an effective way to light the path ahead. He smiled "Maybe there are more of those explorer markings nearby?"

Mario nodded "Good thinking, Weegee. Someone did make it through this place without that compass after all."

Peach clasped her hands over her chest "Still, I wish there were a safe way to pass these ruins. I have a feeling that wretched Shy Guy is waiting to ambush us again."

Much to their surprise, her wish came true as a ball of golden light appeared from the ether enveloping them and vanishing from the sinister ruins.

Fandango paused as he watched the golden star shoot through the darkness and ping around the corners. He sighed, tapping his boot on the ground with annoyance "Well that's just cheating, Ludwig made it through with no magic like that. Didn't even have a fancy compass…" He mused aloud, placed a covered hand to the chin of his mask "Still, better let Diabella know, she might be able to explain whatever that was."

"Fandango? What happened?" Scaramouch whispered as she climbed up onto the roof of the fallen temple. The flickering trail of stardust in the air, made her pout "And here I was, ready to take out my anger."

"You're preaching to the choir, my dear."

"Oh, you got a little tentacle hanging out of your cheek." She helped tuck it back under his hood. They both let out a long sigh before finally deciding to retreat from the dank, crumbling city beneath the mountains. The maze of tunnels from this place networked and weaved all throughout the world. Yet the methods employed for their construction was still a mystery that no one really wanted to solve.

* * *

A pink vanity mirror was angled to look around the corner, the reflection revealed that the coast was clear. Wendy smiled to herself, quickly checking her own reflection to make sure her bow was straight. Now was an opportune moment to pay Bowser a visit. Most of the kingdom were either attending to the medical ward, the airship workshop or were madly trawling for information about the Lightning Queen. Their king had finally retreated to his quarters as he had grown too frustrated by the situation. Kamek told him to have a time out before the vein in his head burst. Now an uneasy quiet unfamiliar to the halls of the castle had settled.

As Larry walked in tow of Wendy, he noticed the new decorative statues and portraits installed in the likeness of Bowser. He always thought it a little weird that there were no other relics of previous rulers. He suspected Bowser inherited this kingdom from someone else, although there was no memorial of the previous ruler. After all, a castle this complex does not appear overnight especially in a land as inhospitable as the Dark Lands. They finally came to the gargantuan door framed with spikes and painted with decorative flames. Wendy looked to him and gave him an assuring nod. It did not make him feel less uneasy about the whole situation. Then again, Larry knew neither Roy nor Morton would be suitable for this task.

A knock at the door caught his attention. Bowser quickly shoved the old photo album back in its hiding place within the wall near his fireplace. Why he even felt like looking through that thing was beyond him. He had spent the past few decades trying to forget everything. The lower chamber of his wing was larger than any manor and loaded with creature comforts most people would never own in their lifetime. All of which were decorated with black, red, silver and gold. He walked back over to his gargantuan armchair to recline casually near the fireplace. Quickly switching on the widescreen television to dispel any ludicrous notions he might actually have been reading.

He shook his head at his foolishness, finally growling "What is it now!?" He heard the heavy door slowly shoved open and closed again, Wendy and Larry then appeared before him. "Whatever you two want me to buy you, the answer is no."

Wendy curtsied "Ah, but your surliness we would never ask such a thing from you."

Bowser cocked an eyebrow "You're kidding right? Coz if it was, then that was a lame joke."

"Actually, we've come to suggest a scheme. A plot to give us the upper hand in unknown territory."

Smoke rose from his nostrils, Bowser leant on one armrest gesturing them to continue with an unimpressed gaze.

"Why not send us to find Ludwig? He's been with them, if we remind him of his loyalty then we get access to what he knows."

"Details of where that bug lady came from," Larry felt a little nervous beneath the intimidating gaze of the audience "And you know, how Ludwig did that transformation thing? That sounds pretty important to know."

"Good point Larry," Wendy played along, looking up to Bowser with a playful smile "When was the last time you turned into a giant?"

Bowser pouted like a child "I can, it's just I don't want to. It's more fun to smash things face to face."

Larry bargained "Anyway, we could totally find him. Just let us have access to an airship and we'll have Ludwig back in no time."

"Then we make him tell me everything. Excellent plan! I like it." He raised a talon, much to Larry and Wendy's dread "But, you have to take Junior with you. It's his airship after all."

They both hid their frustration behind false smiles. Well, some plans do not always turn out as well as you hoped.


	3. The quest for the Prism Star

The whirling light shimmered with golden celestial stars. In that moment they were overcome with a feeling of true weightlessness. The scenery passed as in a distortion of spectacular flashes of colour. The wild ride came to a sudden halt before Mario, Luigi, Peach and Daisy were gently lowered to the ground. The mountain range that housed the Thwomp Ruins was far to the north. To the south was encroaching mires and swamplands shrouded in mist and darkness. It almost squatted on the horizon like a lazy crocodile, waiting to snap at its prey. Their attention was directed behind them when they noticed the iridescent pearl road beneath their feet. The ivory trail led directed their gaze towards the spectacular kingdom.

High shimmering walls that gleamed with hues of blue like waterfall shielded the civilisation from the mires in the distance. Beyond the gold and sapphire gates was bustling town of beauty and wonder. There did not appear to be any sign of poverty on the streets as its citizens wandered the ivory buildings in a state of euphoria. Gold, sapphire and crystal embellishments framed the plain white stone that parted the beautifully clean canals of gleaming water. The canals themselves networked their ways through the city with elaborate curves and swirls.

A castle rose from its centre and was by far the most remarkable. The pearly walls and turrets looked rather ordinary. It was the curving crystals reaching to the cloud line that made it spectacular. The gleaming gems reflected shades of blue from the surrounding canals. Their form contorted to resemble the flow of water itself as it cascaded down the walls and splashed upwards like tumultuous waves.

The group was distracted at the sound of clinking metal. Two giant guards clad in plate armour, resembling the frost golem that had come to the Mushroom Kingdom's aid, had appeared by the golden gates. They both gestured to the castle with their swords.

"The Water Princess is waiting for you, welcome to the Arcane Kingdom." They loudly boomed, their voices wavering like they were immersed in the ocean. Smaller figures made of water and wreathed in gold and sapphire jewelry emerged from a nearby fountain. All were enthusiastically waving to them, beckoning them to follow.

The passing town was a utopia as happy citizens wandered about their day. Other watery servants tended to their needs so they had no reason to work. Glittering architectural spectacle followed every carefree watery performance of magical delight as figures danced amidst the canals. They entered the grand hall of the castle to see it mimicked the most opulent pool they had ever seen. Schools of rainbow fish swam beneath the floor. Golden orbs floated in elaborate patterns leading across the surface of the water. Standing upon the water was Shalazia in the flesh. Her alabaster skin complimented her piercing golden eyes. Her hair was dark blue at the roots to fade to lighter shades and finally turning white at the tips.

She tapped her gold and sapphire staff on the surface of the water. Blue stars circled around them all as she smiled innocently "Please, let me show you to your quarters, we can discuss more serious matters once you've freshened up."

Peach was the first to test the water, finding that it was solid beneath her shoes like a floor. She calmly strode out, her gown did not even get damp from trailing on the water. Politely curtsying to Shalazia, she said "Thankyou for you hospitality."

"You're very welcome, I am honoured to entertain the descendants of the heroes who brought the Star Road to power." Shalazia gently laughed at their perplexed faces "Don't worry, given the most recent encounter with the Lightning Queen, I think she is recovering. An excellent time to strategise."

Mario queried "Um, pardon me princess, but what do you mean by the Star Road?"

Luigi nodded thoughtfully "Yeah, that's always been there, right?"

"Not exactly, over a thousand years ago, the world of peace we know did not exist in the slightest. The road was obscured from sight due to the malevolence running rampant." Shalazia wistfully gazed downwards "The Era of Ire, a time when war, chaos and evil reigned. However, the Mushroom and Arcane Kingdoms united their magic to awaken the Star Road to the plight of the land bellow. It brought order to the madness and peace to the bloodthirsty."

Peach remarked "I have never heard of that history before."

"The Arcane Kingdom keeps it alive, no member of the royal family is ever allowed to forget it. That's the only reason why I know about it." Shalazia gestured to a nearby stairwell "I fear that as soon as you've arrived, you may have to soon leave again."

Mario sighed "Why don't we get to explore this place? It looks amazing, your highness."

"Not before you have a well deserved rest, of course." Shalazia smiled gently, lightly blushing an icy blue "I have been able to locate the remaining four pieces of the Prism Star, sadly they have been hidden in dangerous places so I need worthy heroes to reclaim them."

"Two heroes, ready and waiting to help someone in need." Mario jested as he put an arm around Luigi.

"Of course, I would not send you off unprepared. You will have full access to the armoury."

"We don't need weapons, princess."

Shalazia stated coldly "You will."

Luigi already felt the shiver run down his spine and his knees begin to buckle "What exactly will we be going up against?"

"With the Lightning Queen, any kind of abomination you can imagine. She is not to be taken lightly."

"May I ask, why haven't you been able to deal with her?" Peach nervously inquired "You seemed very capable in the Mushroom Kingdom."

"She resides in the Malevolent Mires, a place where the water is so polluted and toxic that any spell I cast is immediately rendered powerless. As you've noticed, I work best with water as my catalyst."

"I see so you need this Prism Star to help cleanse the mires?"

"Exactly, thankyou for being so understanding."

While the others followed, Daisy lingered behind and looked around. Unlike most other castles, this one had no minions to speak of. Only more of those strange watery constructs that looked eerily artificial. She quietly trailed behind them, eyeing the unusual artwork on the walls. Rather than hang paintings, the walls were covered with elaborate mosaics depicting all kinds of grand battles against Koopas, brave warriors posing triumphantly and beautiful maidens beside majestic beasts. There was something ancient about these halls like they had been standing far longer than any castle Daisy had ever seen. It spoke to a lost era of magical mastery that looked like it was torn right from the pages of the elaborate fantasy tales she was told as a child. She smiled, perhaps this kingdom was a beautiful dream from a fairy tale after all.

* * *

The Koopa Kingdom was definitely more peaceful now that the Koopalings had departed. Bowser Jr had been most vocal of the matter as he proclaimed they had an elite mission to perform. By now, Kamek did not care, all he knew is that he desperately needed a holiday, preferably to Delfino Isle. The sun drenched shores would be a delight compared to the stormy night outside. He quietly scurried towards Bowser's chambers, an overflowing tome in hand. It was his intention to bring the mighty king up to speed with their investigations. Oddly the door of Bowser's chambers was jarred open ever so slightly. Kamek instinctively looked through the crack to gage whether he was interrupting anything special. He could not believe the sight before him.

A human was perched on the armchair, false panelling in the wall was shifted and a strange book was in her hand. She was reading something Bowser took a lot of trouble in hiding. The audacity of this strange individual made Kamek's blood boil. He then paused as he examined her appearance. Concern was growing at the sight of the strange backpack strapped to her with the wires running down her arms. The odd mechanical trident by her side also raised alarm.

Bowser growled behind him "What is it Kamek? Seriously, why are you sneaking around like some kind of creep?"

"Your burliness!" Kamek screeched "When did you-"

"Out of the way," Bowser snarled as he shoved the door open. His eyes widened at the sight of that wretched woman again. He then saw the panel shifted and she was going through his secret photo album "HOW DID YOU FIND THAT!? GET OUT OF HERE YOU PSYCHO!"

"You seriously think I haven't gone through your stuff before?" Diabella answered, evading a wild swing from Bowser who was cursing her under his breath. She continued flicking through the pages "Who's the babe posing raunchily for you?"

"Don't touch my Clawdia pics! Those are one of a kind!"

"I won't, I just came for these." She removed covered pages from the album. Kamek was a little disappointed that he could not see what the pictures revealed. "It's time your niece and nephews knew the truth."

"I was waiting for the right time!"

"Ludwig met Lucia."

Bowser's face paled at the realisation "No… but… she's dead…"

"Not exactly."

"What kind of evil magic did you cast on her!? And give me back that page!"

"You want it back, come get me." Diabella taunted as she jumped out of the nearby window. The familiar buzzing sound followed by the forms of Beelzebub and Bismillah soared into view before ascending steeply.

"Clown Car, NOW!" Bowser roared so loudly it sent Kamek flying back and down the stairs.

* * *

Within moments, Bowser was chasing after Diabella in his personal aircraft. He did not have the patience to stand idle while the rest of the troops organised themselves. Besides, he was a master of piloting the Clown Car, there was no opponent alive that could match him in an aerial fight. Well, aside from Mario. The fog of the darkened cloud line blurred as he burst into the clear night sky. The full moon illuminated a fleecy cover obscuring the Dark Lands. It was unusual to see a cloud line resemble an ocean when looking down upon it. Amidst the stars were the gargantuan forms of Beelzebub and Bismillah. Oddly there was no sign of Diabella anywhere.

He was about to steer the Clown Car upwards to catch them off their guard. A whistle from bellow caught his attention. Bowser looked down to see Diabella standing on the clouds, her ankles hidden by a haze. Both enraged and intrigued, Bowser descended so that he could float above her.

Diabella smiled broadly, revealing the gap in her teeth "Nice night, isn't it? Interesting cart you go there too. It looks so… unsuitable for air travel, yet here you are."

Bowser snarled, smoke and heat flared from his nostrils "SHUT UP! Gimme back what you stole and maybe I won't smash you to the Underwhere!"

"Yeah, been there already, you got to smash me out further if you want to get rid of me."

He froze from the sound of her laughter, he tilted his head, trying his best not to look curious. "So… how are you standing like that anyway?"

She raised her outstretched arms to beckon "Why not come down and see? There's plenty of room for both of us."

A flash of lightning followed by a primordial scream of thunder revealed a disturbing shape beneath the cloak of mists. Crackles of electricity writhed through the clouds like the tumultuous waves of a stormy sea. It was truly colossal, a serpentine shaped creature swimming through the air. Lightning was channelled through its various limbs, some were giant elongated forewings and hindwings to keep the creature aloft. The limbs towards the head were segmented and jagged, as it continued down the trail of its body the limbs resembled swirling branches that curled at random. The sight caught Bowser off guard, as a monstrous chitin encased tail smashed into him. He was knocked down to Diabella's level, on the back of the monstrous beast.

The monster reared upwards, revealing its ribbon like body weaving amidst the clouds. Large openings in its exoskeleton exposed a translucent skin with organs writing within. Thick mist was emitted from them, creating the unnatural clouds. The other limbs were studded with bioluminescent patterns that crackled with electricity. Bowser struggled as he realised the smaller limbs were reaching upwards to coil around him. Even against his rough scale, they seemed to stick like Velcro. Finally the head of the abomination was revealed as it curled around itself in an upwards spiral. It had no true discernable face other than a maw that was lined with hooks and suckers. The closest thing that resembled eyes was a ring of glowing circles. More of the strange brittle branches trailed from its scolex like a crown.

Diabella scaled the various limbs to look Bowser in the eye. She madly bragged "Do you like her? My finest creation, Silhouetta! One part basket star, one part tapeworm, one part tiger moth… with some miscellaneous species thrown in."

Bowser shook his head "And Kamek was thinking that storm was all because of magic… you're a fraud!"

"Why? I made no claim that I could even use magic."

"Everyone can use magic! Even I know that!" Bowser broke free of the brittle limbs, hitting the back of Silhouetta with a mighty thump. "It's the basics! Even if you can't sling a spell to save yourself, anyone can pick up a power-up!"

"You sound just like Lucia when we first crossed paths," Diabella taunted as cartwheeled away from him "Weirdly, now Ludwig is following down a similar path. It's like déjà vu, although, he's not quite at a point of no return… yet." She tapped on her satchel "I'm just trying to help the poor kid get some answers."

"I don't buy that, not for a second. Everything 'bout you screams bad guy. I'll admit I'm a little impressed, maybe I'd be able to call you a minion if I didn't hate you so much."

"The difference here is that Lucia was a master of her own fate, Ludwig on the other hand, he's just being unconsciously forced into it by his situation. You're not exactly helping him either by keeping so many secrets. It's going to make things worse, you need to be honest with him."

"Why should I!? That brat is turning out just like her! I want nothing to do with him until he's ready to be my minion again." Bowser lunged forward menacingly "How did you even know anything about my castle!? Or even that those pics existed?"

Diabella did not falter in her step, she stood toe to toe with the Koopa King "I've looted your place a few times, during storms mind you. King Boo is also a good friend of mine, we like to drink and talk, and he is a very chatty fellow."

"I swear, I am going to stuff that fanged marshmallow into one of his stupid paintings." He stamped his feet, nearly throwing a tantrum as he screeched "Shut up already! I came here for those photos, not to talk at each other with words!"

"What else can you talk with?"

Her answer came in the form of a great ball of flame. She deftly leap onto a nearby limb and bounded around him. Trident armed and charged with electricity as the cogs whirled into action. Bowser was put on defence to evade her swings with that retched staff. Recalling her actions from their previous encounter, Bowser bid his time and waited for an opportunity. This was proving much harder than he expected. He grit his teeth with every failed evasion, his scales were charred and smouldering from the electrical current. A mighty arc from her trident demanded a follow through, leaving her exposed for a split second while Diabella lunged forward. In that instant, Bowser snatched the pronged end, ripping it to pieces in his hand.

He laughed wickedly as he tossed the mangled mental and cogs into the clouds. His happiness was short lived for Diabella had vanished from before him. Only to be caught off guard as she rebounded off a nearby bent leg of Silhouetta to strike him hard between the eyes with the wood and steel handle. Flashes and splotches of darkness clouded his eyes, yet she still advanced. In a desperate move Bowser breathed a great blaze all around him. Humans despised fire; they lacked the fortitude and rugged scales to remain unaffected.

The sight before him was something that would haunt him for many nights to come. She was howling with laughter, the moon gleaming down upon the chaotic sea she had woven through the sky. Diabella plunged her arm into the flames, her clothing catching alight almost instantly. She should be screaming in agony and flailing like an idiot. But no, giggling like a hysterical lunatic, she merely gazed upon her burning flesh with amusement. Madness flickered in her eyes, a deranged smile across her face as she slowly strutted towards him. A burning arm stretched out to caress him on the snout.

Reflexively, Bowser edged away from her, not paying attention to where he was moving. He stammered aloud "What kind of freak are you?" The flames dimmed over her arm to reveal why she was immune to it. Her entire hand was crystallised; the source of the infection came from a large diamond that her merged with her forearm. The crystal plague had crept up her arm in uneven jagged edges which had been crudely smoothed over the years.

Diabella smiled back "Lucia was intrigued by that as well… It's what happens when you break the Prism Star, it becomes like a living thing and grows on you… also I'd watch your step."

Bowser was about to retort only to feel the ground beneath him vanish. He teetered backwards and was sent sprawling through the air. Diabella shook her arms furiously, the flames vanishing in puffs of smoke. She gazed at the ruined leather and fabric "Damn, I really liked those gloves."


	4. A strange night

The spray of the sea did not deter Syrup as she aimed the cannon carefully. The wild waves rocking the boat did not make her falter. The wind cut past her and still, she did not hesitate. She had done this too many times to be thrown off balance by the ocean's tantrum. Before her was a giant Blooper, tentacles thrashing in a futile attempt to capture Wario and Waluigi. The two were insistent they could defeat the creature with their bare hands. Syrup however had more faith in her cannon and should it come to close, her cutlasses. Regardless of whether they defeated it or fled, her ship would not be sunk by this monster. The temptation to aim at Wario, who was currently more focused on trying to scale the Blooper's mantle and punch it in the eye, took all of Syrup's restraint. She was still fuming over what Waluigi brought up when he asked about her crew.

Much to her horror, Wario had informed him that she had disbanded her pirates in order to claim more loot for herself. She was not about to correct him though. That would reveal that she had merely sent the Black Sugar Pirates on a long voyage to amass the treasures from the pile of ancient maps Diabella had given her. Given their antiquity, Syrup was sceptical at first of their validity. When she travelled to the spot marked by the first map, she was amazed by the burial crypt with enough treasure for a king's ransom. From that moment on, Syrup had kept her little trading scheme with Diabella. Occasionally, Syrup did wonder why Diabella never went after the treasure herself. She knew their exact locations and every detail to avoid any lurking traps and dangers. Yet she never claimed any treasure as she was more satisfied with scavenging junkyards for scrap metal. Regardless of the matter, Syrup decided to take full advantage of the crazy swamp lady for the good of the buried treasure. Someone needed to liberate it from its musty tombs.

On second thought, Syrup aimed the cannon a little too closely to Wario's head before she light the fuse. The cannonball hurtled through the air to narrowly skim over his cap then crashed into the Blooper's eye. Wario nearly retched as the viscous jelly of the exploded eyeball coated him. He could hear Waluigi's wicked laughter, gazing upwards to see him pointing while being wildly shaken by the tentacle wrapped around his waist. Wario glared back at Syrup who merely shrugged back with a smirk on her face. If he was not precariously balancing on a monster's limb, he would have stormed over and yelled at her about it. The mountain sized alabaster squid continued to flail wildly in a half blind rage.

Before the Blooper could recover fully from the recoil of its injury, it was assailed by an overhead threat. Syrup watched with amazement as a large turtle lizard fell from the sky. His spiked shell was facing downwards as he crash landed into the Blooper's head (or at least what Syrup considered its head). The colossal squid fell back silently into the ocean, sending large waves out in all directions. It almost resembled an island of its own as it floated on the water's surface. Whether the attack had been fatal was still undecided when the waves settled. With relative safety ensured, Syrup returned to the helm and steered the boat around to pick up the stragglers.

Bowser found himself still looking up at the sky although he could now feel water splashing on him and a salty tang in the air. While endeavouring to stand upright, he realised he was pinned to whatever he had landed on. His spikes were buried deep in a spongy white flesh. No matter how hard he struggled, he could not shake himself loose. He then shivered at the sensation of something sticky oozing onto his back. He screeched, arms and legs flailing "Ewww, it's going down my shell!"

"Quit your whining!" Wario bellowed as he stomped over to the fallen Koopa "You're not the one covered in eyeball jelly! And another th-" He paused, positively fuming as Waluigi kept laughing in the background like a hyena. Wildly turning, nearly slipping over in the process, he demanded "What is so damn funny!?"

Waluigi stopped laughing enough to breathlessly answer "Everything about this situation."

"Will both of you shut the hell up and HELP ME UP!" Bowser breathed fire to punctuate his rage.

Wario sneered back "Why would I help you? You gonna pay me? I got bigger problems right now, there's no doubt Syrup has probably cheesed it."

"Nah, she's over there." Waluigi pointed over his shoulder.

Much to Wario's shock, he was right. Syrup and her ship were close to the carcass of the giant Blooper. He narrowed his eyes "I wonder what she's playing at…"

Syrup barked at them "Hurry up you landlubbers before I desert you here! And bring the turtle too!"

He yelled back "Why!? He's a jerk!"

"Yeah, but a wealthy jerk! That's the bloody Koopa King, you morons! Seriously, do I need to spell it out to you as to what is possible with this kind of cash cow with us?"

Bowser looked over to Waluigi while Syrup and Wario argued in the background "Why are you in the middle of the ocean anyway?"

Waluigi broke under Bowser's gaze, before he knew it he was spilling the gist of their current endeavours "Treasure hunt, that lady from the Mushroom Kingdom incident may have something to do with it. So we're heading to the Arcane Kingdom."

"NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! I CAN FALL OUT OF THE SKY IF I WANT TO!" A smile then appeared on Bowser's face "But it looks like we may be able to help each other out after all."

Waluigi did not trust that smile one bit. Before he could object, Wario and Syrup were already marching over and deducing some kind of plan to dislodge Bowser. "Team up with you? Forget it!" Waluigi protested immediately.

Syrup instantly began scheming "Now hold on, we could use a little more fire power on board. Still got a few days before we even reach the coast line of the Arcane Kingdom and a lot of open sea."

Wario bluntly remarked "You know, I don't think you even know where you're going!" This earned a sharp kick in the knee from Syrup.

"I know exactly where I'm going," Syrup growled back "You're the morons who are lost."

The Blooper stirred beneath them, signalling it had been merely knocked unconscious. They immediately cut the banter and worked to putting as much distance between them and the monster as quickly as possible.

* * *

The evening had passed peacefully, it appeared no luxury was spared in welcoming travellers from the Mushroom Kingdom. Peach was surprised that despite the castle being mostly decorated with water features and elaborate stone works, it was never cold. A nearby clock that shone with the brilliance of a full moon revealed it to be close to midnight. While the others had retired to their own chambers, Peach could not sleep easy tonight. Not after what had happened to her kingdom. She aimlessly wandered the hallways, marvelling at the embellished walls and how everything alternated between actual marble and wavering pools. One entire wall she passed was actually made of water, a living aquarium to marvel at. Adorning the corridors were elaborate displays of armour and weapons, all beautifully crafted with ornate embellishments of gold. Despite how lovely they were, Peach could not ignore the fact that they were still tools of war.

Eventually, she came to a courtyard overlooking the city. Crystallised plants grew wildly from their gold and sapphire pots. The full moon looked down upon her that night, never before had the sky felt so dark. Then again, they were far from the Star Road now. These lands were as foreign and mysterious as the Dark Lands.

"Good evening." Shalazia curtsied as she floated past, every part of her oozed elegance. She appeared to have a similar aura of ethereal grace that Rosalina possesses. "I hope everything was to your liking."

Peach curtsied back "It was, thankyou again."

A concerned expression appeared on Shalazia's face "You look troubled, is something the matter?"

"Well… my castle was mostly destroyed and my kingdom is nearly in ruins…" She let out a sigh, on the verge of tears "I still can't believe that happened."

"But you're still alive, your people are still alive and dedicated to you. So long as that remains, you will be fine. Your kingdom will survive."

"You speak as though you've experienced this before?"

"The Arcane Kingdom has been rebuilt four times, originally it resided high up in the mountains, near the Thwomp Ruins… then at the foot of the mountain range, then where the Malevolent Mires now fester, then not too far from here before it was finally settled close to the coast as we are now."

"What happened to make it relocate so many times?"

"This kingdom thrives on the practice of magic, some endeavours to better our knowledge have been met with deadly consequences." Shalazia laughed under her breath "When the Lightning Queen razed our archives to the ground, I was relieved, it meant that knowledge of certain… foul magic had been lost forever."

"I see, to be honest the Mushroom Kingdom doesn't have a lot of practiced magic. That's always been regarded as more of a Koopa thing." Peach nervously tugged at her hair "I know my royal blood means I have certain powers, but I've never really honed them. Sometimes my abilities unconsciously awaken, like on our journey here... but I have no control over them. I feel so foolish now."

"Why? Your kingdom has survived difficult times before, yes?"

"True, but it's usually Mario who saves everyone. Sometimes Luigi helps too."

Shalazia smiled warmly "Ah, yes, I've been meaning to ask what kind of weapon and armour they would require? It's just, I feel I must gift them with some kind of boon to help them with the arduous task ahead."

"They don't need it," Peach proudly replied "Mario has done it before of his own skills, he may not seem like a typical knight in shining armour. But he will always do what's right and will always succeed." She nodded to herself "And Luigi may seem cowardly and timid, but he's more courageous than you think. Besides, I doubt you'd ever get Luigi in a suit of armour, not after his various fights with King Boo."

"But surely there must be something I can do to help?"

Peach tapped a finger on her chin as the idea struck her "How about a badge? Just a small trinket to help him."

"I see, I will craft it myself and infuse it with a piece of my power."

"I still think they'll be reluctant to take it though. Especially Mario."

Shalazia sighed to herself "How does he have such courage in the face of the unknown? You have truly found yourself a talented champion."

"Well, he and I… and Luigi too, we're Star Children."

The cerulean clad princess smiled "Ah, that makes sense. You're blessed by the divinity of the Star Road itself."

"You seem quite obsessed with weapons and armour, even walking through your castle I've seen all kinds of warmongering things on display."

"That is the culture of my family, we are have a rich military history. Even from birth, women of the royal family are taught to wield a variety of weapons and don both heavy and light armour. As well as master our own gifts in the arcane. It's a tradition from the Era of Ire that was instilled to stop Dragon Koopas from stealing the princesses." Shalazia happily bragged "I will admit, I have taken a liking to full plate armour and wielding a spear or halberd alongside a shield."

"So you're trained to fully defend yourself?" Peach lowered her head, feeling even more worthless than before.

Shalazia placed a reassuring hand on Peach's shoulder "Don't beat yourself up, you can only rule your kingdom to the best of your ability. No kingdom is truly identical, the Mushroom Kingdom is something to envy really. I've never heard of such a peaceful place before. Your people must be truly happy."

Peach lifted her head, a little surprised by this remark "Are your people not happy?"

"Not by my doing, there are thugs in my city spreading their lies that everyone would be happier if I was gone. They implant these ridiculous ideas into the heads of my citizens." Shalazia shook her head, nearly growling as she said "They call themselves academics, scholars, even revolutionaries, but they're nothing but filthy anarchists. It all started when those minions of the Lightning Queen, those horrible steampunks, showed up."

"I see, so the Lightning Queen is really trying to steal everything away from you… she's hurting your people as well, isn't she?"

"Which is why I'm so desperate, I can't protect my kingdom alone. Not while it's being attacked from outside and corrupted from within."

Peach took Shalazia's hand and offered a gentle smile "You'll never be alone anymore. I vow that the Mushroom Kingdom will always come to the aid of the Arcane Kingdom."

Shalazia nodded back gratefully. Both then turned their gazes upwards to marvel at the star studded sky.


	5. Back at the Twisted Manor

Perpetual night clouded the passage of time as Ludwig remained in self-imposed solitude. After Lemmy's intervention, he had withdrawn into one of his moods and fortunately had not been disturbed by anyone. Aside from the servants who brought him his meals which he barely touched. His wounds had healed swiftly as expected of his species. To ignore his overwhelming anxieties, he turned to the extensive collection of tomes in the chamber. Much to his amazement, they were hand written journals rather than formally published books. They documented extensive research into the arcane, particularly the enigma of shadow magic. Gone were the days when Ludwig could see the channelling of magic through single geometric runes Kamek had tutored him in. The complexities of these symbols before him opened a new level of magic to wield. It only fuelled his newfound curiosity in honing this craft. In fact some of them looked similar to the runes Magnifico wove to cast her extensive spells. Perhaps this chamber belonged to the one who pioneered this new way of weaving magic.

He closed another tome after reading it from cover to cover. The knowledge he had accumulated was jotted down in a tome of his own as he drafted methodologies for spells of his design. His brain was throbbing from reading so much information, a spell of light headedness demanded he take a break to get his bearings. It was then he noticed the insignia on the cover of all these journals. The simple pattern was half a pentagon studded with three ovals crowned by four horns that spread across the embossed leather. He then realised they partly resembled the head dress of the Onyx Witch. He muttered to the insignia, almost hoping it would answer "Why did you study all this, mum?" He paused at the memory of his time in the Underwhere "Diabella… guess she's not such an insane drunk after all."

The solitude was finally shattered when the door slammed open a minute later. Iggy burst into the room like a hurricane, sprinting to Ludwig and grabbing his arm. Within seconds Ludwig found himself shoved into the seat of a wheelchair. Iggy leapt on the back, kicking a pedal violently as the rocket engine mounted to it stirred to life. They were sent hurtling forwards with Iggy steering through the narrow corridors of the manor. Boos cackled as they darted before them and swirled into vapour to evade them. The Dry Bones that were not swift enough found themselves scattered through the manor. Ludwig was actually grateful that his stomach was empty at that moment.

Iggy laughed maniacally as an antique rug tore beneath the sharp turn from his device "Yeah, don't care if you're in one of those 'I vant to be alone' moods, you have gotta see this!"

"A little warning would have been nice," Ludwig was beyond being surprised by Iggy's antics. Then again, perhaps it was his randomness that Ludwig came to appreciate. Iggy was one of those people constantly locked in the moment that he very rarely noted the passage of time. He reclined in the seat, examining his claws as he remarked "So how did you accumulate the parts to build a rocket powered wheelchair?"

"Around, seriously, King Boo never cleans out his manors. He's a freaking hoarder. It's like living in a museum where you're allowed to touch the exhibits! There's stuff everywhere from any era imaginable! Except there are no vacuum cleaners at all which is weird… you know, I don't know why we don't hang out here more often." Iggy's eye twitched erratically, his sentences ran into one another as a garbled blur "I just made this for the hell of it. Took it off some sweet jumps in the forest. It was awesome!"

Ludwig's brow furrowed "Good to see you're still as crazy as ever." The skull of a Dry Bones toppled into his lap, he calmly lifted the skull, golden eyes gleamed within the hollow sockets. Ludwig smirked and recited "To be or not to be? That is the question."

Iggy nodded wisely to reply "Well, I'm telling you now, the answer is always forty two."

"Ugh, you jackanapes!" He threw the skull absentmindedly away.

The wheelchair came to a jarring halt as Iggy slammed the breaks on. The two Koopalings were projected from a wide doorway and sent flying through the gallery. They bounced along the ground, past the array of exquisite portraits to finally crash into a nearby wall. Ludwig groaned, his hand rubbed the temples of his head as he rose to his feet.

Iggy did not miss a beat as he leapt up "By the way, I got sent a bunch of papers from that scientist lady, she said I can be her apprentice if I can decipher them!" He then padded over to a particular wall and pointed to the portrait of interest "Anyway, look at this! I reckon this is something you need to see to believe!"

The painting was of a Dragon Koopa couple. The male was tall and lean with a handsome face. His scales varied between yellow, tan and blue hues around his face. His eyes were framed by thick eyebrows and he possessed a long, wild mane of midnight blue hair that seemed to host a whole array of blue shades depending on the light. A pair of horns crowned his head, rising above his hair to curve and curl like a demon. A set of frilled cuffs hung around his wrists and a layered cravat studded by a large indigo gem hung around his neck. Beside him was his bride, a woman with serpentine features and almost as tall as he. Ludwig froze as he recognised her face, it was the Onyx Witch herself. He read the plaque beneath it out loud "The count Amadeus Von Koopa and countess Lucia Von Koopa."

"Her snout totally looks like yours, she's got the buck tooth and everything. Even that guy's hair, eyes and the last name. I think… I think these are your parents or maybe related to you." Iggy threw his arms up "But I'm not jumping to conclusions! I just found this randomly when I was looking for Lemmy. By that way, you haven't seen him, have you?"

"Iggy, breathe between your sentences. We've talked about this." Ludwig reminded as he put an arm around him "Let me guess, another game of hide and seek gone astray?" Iggy nodded in reply, Ludwig shook his head "I think you need to set clearer boundaries."

Iggy whined "But then it's not as fun."

"Regarding this portrait, yes that is my mother and I'm guessing that's my father, I think we need to ask King Boo about it. Where is he?"

"Probably his study. But I got no idea where that is." He paused to see Ludwig walk off with purpose. Iggy quickly caught up to him, passing the wreckage of his rocket powered wheelchair. It was no problem though, he could just rebuild it later.

* * *

The study was lined with all manner of tomes, pamphlets and texts. The walls were masked by shelves stretching all the way to the ceiling. The only spaces visible amidst the sea of literature were the windows, bright eyes for the outside world to look through. A large fireplace kept the room illuminated. Books fluttered between the shelves like butterflies as they took on minds of their own. King Boo levitated before the window in question, blankly watching the strange Koopaling that had taken residence on its sill. He was still unsure whether it was actually there or just some horrific hallucination brought on by eternal insomnia.

"Hi! Where'd you get that big crown from!? It looks shiny!" Lemmy bashed on the window again "Hey! Can you hear me? I'm Lemmy, I'm talking to you through the glass." He frowned and tilted his head "Do we have a bad connection? Should I try calling another time? Oh wait, it's a window, not a phone, I get those things confused all the time."

King Boo blinked, Lemmy had been at his window for the past seven hours. The cross eyed lunatic was conversing with himself and trying to drag the ghostly monarch into his craziness.

"King Boo, we need to talk."

He turned to see Ludwig and Iggy at the doorway. Iggy was still flummoxed as to how Ludwig knew where he was going in the maze like manor. King Boo smirked "Let me guess, you saw the portrait? What did you think of it?"

Ludwig paused momentarily "It's nice? The brushwork conveys an aura of power and the lighting compliments the colours."

"Thankyou, I painted it myself." King Boo proudly beamed "Most people don't know I'm actually a very talented artist… who sometimes traps people in canvas using magic. But I assure you, nothing sinister like that happened in order to create that particular portrait."

"Nevertheless, I want you to tell me who Amadeus and Lucia are."

"They're your parents, isn't that obvious? Come on, I thought you were the smart one."

Ludwig raised an eyebrow, utterly flummoxed "That was easier than I expected… I thought you'd be a little more protective of such information, you are a master of illusion and deception after all. Bowser's also managed to keep this a secret from me my whole life!"

"Nah, it's no secret here in the manors, Lucia lived here when she was kicked out of the Koopa Kingdom. She dabbled in dark magic and performed blood rites and live sacrifices, didn't go down too well with her family. Her younger brothers were terrified of her and the Koopa Kingdom couldn't have a fearsome princess that could challenge for the crown." He tapped his forehead as he recalled "Well, they warmed back up to her once she got married, then went cold again when rumours surfaced that she murdered her husband… all of which were true, mind you."

King Boo knocked on the wall, jarring the window open for Lemmy to fall though. He waved a hand to push the furniture around the fireplace so they could get comfortable. "Ludwig, your egg was laid here and you also hatched here too, you lived your first two years of life here... Then again you were just a wee hatchling when Lucia took you to live with Bowser. It's no surprise you don't really remember anything."

As Ludwig took a seat at least he now understood why he sought comfort in the macabre. Lemmy scrambled into a large armchair, frantically spinning around before settling. At that moment Iggy seemed more preoccupied with examining the books on display although he was still listening to the edge of the conversation. Ludwig hesitated for a moment then questioned timidly "What were my parents like? Why did my mum kill my dad?"

"Amadeus was a prime cut of meat, descended from a long line of powerful Dragon Koopa mages, ideal to sacrifice to the Shadow Queen herself." A ghostly smile oozed a haze of ectoplasm "To be honest, they're not what you would call… good people. Amadeus was an obnoxious lout of the highest calibre, complete ass with ridiculously high standards about everything! But what do you expect from a descendent of the great Von Koopa clan and a celebrity composer and musician too?" King Boo shivered at the memory "Lucia on the other hand… well, she's cunning, malicious and everything wicked. It's no surprise she was kicked out of her own kingdom and turned out the way she did."

He let out a sigh, this was not ending up how he pictured at all. Given the portrait he thought perhaps he was related to noble hearted people. Not a power crazed witch and her sacrificial lamb that everyone wanted dead.

"But, Lucia was a bright one too. You've been reading through her notes on magic while you were recovering." King Boo smirked "Her lessons have been passed out to magic users everywhere, I think the Magikoopas and the Mushroom Kingdom burnt their copies of it though. Ungrateful jerks." He leant in closer, hovering over Ludwig like a bird of prey "But there's one more tome, this one informs the reader of the ancient spells that have been lost. The spells of Dark Star Cultists and the Disciples of the Shadow Queen. Spells that conjure abominations from beyond the veil of time and space. I guess you could say, it was Lucia's final gift to magic, one she painstakingly crafted after many drunken nights spent with Diabella… trust me, most do not live through those nights." King Boo laughed under his breath "If the alcohol poisoning doesn't get you, the way things transpire through the evening will."

Ludwig dismissively waved a hand "That's preposterous, I've been through all the books in her chamber and I read no such things."

"Because it's not here, Lucia ordered that the book be given to Diabella for safe keeping. The knowledge it holds is not for the weak of mind, body or soul."

King Boo was caught by surprise as Ludwig reached into his mouth and grabbed hold of his tongue, roughly pulling it out. Ludwig growled to the squirming Boo "But Diabella has no magic or any ability to wield magic! Why she should she have that damn book!? If it belonged to my mother, then it is mine by birthright!"

Lemmy bounced up onto a nearby pile of books "Ludwig, calm down! Go to your happy place!" He rested his chin in his hand "Have you eaten lately? You always get cranky when you're hungry."

"My anger is perfectly justified," his voice dropped to a low snarl "For I will not have another thing taken from me, especially when it is my birth right to inherit such knowledge!"

King Boo said awkwardly "You sound just like Amadeus. An over entitled cretin."

Iggy piped up, momentarily turning from the shelves "Why do you need a book like that anyway?"

The question blindsided him, Ludwig let go of King Boo's tongue to blankly stare into space wide eyed. The ghostly monarch tittered back "You see, this is why you don't get to learn the powerful magic until you're older. Right now, you're still going through puberty according to your species. Not a good combination for toying with the matters of the abyss. I mean, can you even answer that question?"

"No…" Ludwig wanted the earth to swallow him then and there. King Boo's sharp words had cut him deeply and the comparison between him and his father only rubbed salt into the fresh wounds.

"I think, you've outstayed your welcome here." King Boo smirked, his words were an order not a request "The Spectre Express to Rhapsody leaves in an hour. I suggest you be on it."

Ludwig glared back as he turned and left the chamber in silence. His gaze was lowered and his shoulders were slightly slumped. Although he appeared to have good posture, it was clear that he was exhausted both mentally and physically. Iggy and Lemmy exchanged concerned looks from his departure, they nervously gazed up at King Boo. The ghost shrugged indifferently "What? Your family is a mess right now because of Bowser… well, I guess it always was a mess. Dragon Koopas always have very… intriguing relations."

Iggy questioned nervously "Do you know why Bowser disowned us? If we just knew the logic, maybe, it'd help us get past it?"

Lemmy shyly asked "So you know anything about our parents? Maybe?"

"You're forgetting that logic very rarely comes into play in real life. Besides, I wouldn't have a clue why Bowser is being an idiot. As for that other thing you want to know… well…" He paused to see the hope in their eyes then coldly remarked "Come back and ask me again once you know who you're looking for. Then maybe I'll help. The only clue I can give you is that Bowser has three siblings, his big sister Lucia and his younger brothers, Franklyn or Ziggy as he was known later in his life and Morton." King Boo rolled his eyes at the sorry looking duo "Alright, kids, you can pick a book from my collection, just to cheer you two up."

Lemmy seemed less than enthusiastic as he stared blankly at King Boo. Iggy's eyes light up "A free book? Anything from here?" King Boo nodded back sending Iggy into a squeals of euphoria. The lanky Koopaling scampered off like a madman to make a choice. He scaled towers of tomes and wildly lashed out to catch books as they floated past.

King Boo tilted, somewhat regretting the decision "He… really likes books, doesn't he?"

"You have no idea," Lemmy laughed as he watched Iggy fly through the air while hanging onto a particularly rowdy book "Ludwig's the same, both of them really like books for some reason. I never understood it."

He crashed to the ground, loudly proclaiming "I found one! We should all be able to get a kick out of it, looks like a scary story book." Iggy brandished a tome bound in black scales "It's called, the Era of Ire! Looks like an anthology, look there are cool pictures too! This looks awesome, all full of knights and monsters and… whoa! You gotta see this Lemmy, there are Koopas in here too."

While Lemmy bounded over to peek at the pages over Iggy's shoulders. King Boo had to hold back his laughter, of all the books, Iggy had to pick up that one. He felt like he should say something or rip it from his claws. However, the spark that book may ignite would definitely liven things up. His smiled broadly, letting Iggy's thanks wash over him. This was going to be a fantastic prank on Diabella.


	6. Return to Rhapsody

The Spectre Express was the reanimated remains of a grotesque train crash from the prohibition era. Apparently the engineers preferred to die in a fiery blaze of glory than surrender to the guards of the Mushroom Kingdom. It had been mended with bones, ectoplasm and eerie shimmering gemstones. Much like the one found on King Boo's crown. The ghastly train held a power unlike any other, anyone who boarded it essentially became invisible to the mortal coil. That was how this magnificent machine could go wherever it needed to without rails, why it could pass through cities and mountains and across vast lakes without crashing in a spectacularly horrible way.

They had been given their own cabin in one of the middle cars. A table was folded down to give them working space as they were not keen on sleeping during the ride. The rattling of the pistons and wheels were becoming harmonic to Iggy by now. Lemmy would often dart in and out of the cabin in search of fun, knowing fully well that Iggy needed time to think. On the ride to Rhapsody he was focused on decoding the pages he had been given by Diabella. So far he deduced that they were genetic profiles and he could see the markers indicating gender and inherited qualities such as dwarfism and gigantism. Although there were still too many pieces missing and he had a pretty good guess as to what these pages were. His scientific way of thinking told him to avoid such assumptions until it was proven through logic and fact. He put the pages down, feeling that he had enough to go on for his meeting with Diabella. To his concern, Ludwig was still sitting by the window, blankly staring at nothing. He had remained silent the whole time. To break the monotony up, Iggy pulled out the tome King Boo had gifted him. He flicked through the pages until he came to a story that seemed interesting.

"Story time!" Lemmy proclaimed as he appeared from nowhere, sitting down beside Ludwig to eagerly await the tale. The older Koopaling merely feigned a slight interest before giving up to stare out the window once more.

"This one looks good, it's called the duel to end the war. Apparently it's between some Warlord Astrapi and an Emperor Gowser."

"What war are you talking about?"

"Well, I skipped a few chapters to get to this tale. Mainly because of this picture." Iggy informed as he turned the book around to show Ludwig and Lemmy. "But from what I can see, these two fought each other for eight days straight before they deemed each other equals and decided to end some big war going on between their kingdoms."

The illustration beside the text depicted a gruelling battle. The horned knight, wearing the remains of Dragon Koopas and wielding a two handed sword was overwhelmed by the terrifyingly colossal Emperor. Gowser was easily twice the size of Bowser and could have swatted that knight with one talon. His horns were grand, looking like they could easily tear a building down if he charged at it, and wreathed by a mane of fiery hair.

Iggy dropped the book on the counter, his lower eye lid twitching "Whoa, Warlord Astrapi is crazy to go up against the Emperor with just a big sword. Then again…" a claw tapped a particular sentence "It says Warlord Astrapi was a master of the storm and could wield lightning like a weapon… but the Emperor is all about shadow magic and is freaking huge! He could squash him like a bug! I don't like the knight's chances."

"That's not just a big sword, Iggy." Ludwig remarked, pulling the book over to him to get a closer look. Out of curiosity, Lemmy jumped up on his shoulder to get a closer look. Ludwig chewed on his lower lip, feeling a little nervous given that the knight decorated himself with Koopa remains. It was gazing at a battle between truly deadly forces, on equal ground as well. He informed aloud "The cruciform and pommel resemble a typical zweihander, however the blade is undulated."

Lemmy tilted his head "Does that mean the blade is all wiggly, wiggly?"

Ludwig nodded back "Also known as a flame-blade, apparently it's good for countering as clashing this type of blade with another sends a powerful shockwave down your opponent's arm. It also inflicts much wider wounds with a lighter overall weight due to its unique cross section."

"So what's it called then? A wiggly, wiggly, flaming zighander?"

"Zweihander." Ludwig corrected "And no, a sword like this is known as a flammenschwert."

"And why should we care?"

He tapped on the illustration "Because a weapon like that, wielded correctly, should be more than enough to take down a Koopa that size. So, technically both are equally lethal to each other."

Iggy removed his glasses to wipe them with a spectral curtain "Why do you know about swords anyway? We have claws and talons so why would we ever need to know about them?"

He sweetly smiled back "When I used to have those little talks with the prisoners in the dungeons, you know, so I could find out what Bowser wanted to know. My arms would get tired with some of the more difficult guests so I needed to be creative."

Lemmy remained silent, pretending to be distracting by staring out the window at the whirling shadows amidst blurred colours. He always knew Ludwig was somewhat of an experiment to Bowser, the first born and extremely mentally advanced for his age. When Bowser wanted something done, Ludwig was the guinea pig for the scheme. It all started when Bowser demanded a laboratory for making all kinds of machines to aid him and surprise, surprise, Ludwig was stuck in there for most of his youth. He did not blame Ludwig for what he had done so far, in all fairness, he seemed to revel in the responsibilities. Although he was stumped as to how he was going to help him navigate his anxieties.

* * *

Evaluating the exact distance between the Twisted Manors and Rhapsody was near impossible. Ghoulish magic was at play, turning the world viewed through the window into a dreamlike, glowing haze. The thick fog suffocated the senses and disorientated all perspectives. At times, Iggy swore they were travelling upside down and along the sides of buildings. With a sudden jolt, the train came to a screeching halt. The screech was more akin to screams of terror rather than brakes frantically clawing to the rails. The mist had cleared to reveal a rotting stone platform in the middle of a festering midden. Nervously, he and Lemmy followed after Ludwig, unsure of what to expect beyond the doors of the carriage.

A stone's throw from the platform where the Spectre Express cackled insanely with ghostly ether, there was a thriving broad walk. There was a miniature metropolis of brass, metal and gears hidden within the swamps. Iggy wiped his eyes, making sure they were not deceiving him. He never knew such a fascinating place could exist, the buildings churned and breathed steam like they were alive.

"This is Rhapsody, I've been… kind of living here after I left." Ludwig said more as a formality, he did not even turn as he headed down a nearby street "Explore all you want, I have work to do. If you need me, I'll be in a club called the Bone Pit."

It was then that Iggy noticed Ludwig was carrying a heavy looking satchel.

"Oh, and Iggy," Ludwig glanced slightly over his shoulder, he nodded his head in the opposite direction "Diabella's lab is down that way. Be careful when talking to her alone."

His eyelid twitched reflexively as he spoke "Why?"

Ludwig offered a final warning before parting with them "She may not be a liar, but if you want her to uphold her end of a bargain you need to play along with her little games."

Lemmy felt a hand grab his shoulder, he looked up to see Iggy who only shook his head "Don't follow after him, give him some space."

He poked his tongue out "I think he's had enough space for now… we just need to get him to open up."

"I may have a way of doing that, if my suspicions are correct of course." Iggy nodded to himself "I doubt it'll fix him but, maybe it'll help him get to a better frame of mind."

"Well, I thought we should just get him wasted, he's always pretty chatty then. Besides, Wendy, Morton and Larry aren't here so we can crazy without worrying about setting a bad example."

A familiar horned Shy Guy casually ducked between them, resting his arms over their shoulders like an old friend "If that's the case, you could try giving him a batch of my brownies. That was one interesting night."

Lemmy broke into a wide smile and cheered "Fandango! Hey, how you going?"

"Fantastic, Lemmy, it's good to see you guys again. Welcome to my side of the world. It's pretty wonderful here, except when it's terrible. Then it's wonderfully terrible!"

Iggy frowned more from being unable to solve the Shy Guy's riddle "How would brownies make Ludwig talk anyway?"

Fandango rocked on his heels "Well… wait, how old are you two anyway?"

"Eighteen," Iggy then gestured to Lemmy "Don't be fooled by his size, he's twenty one."

"In that case, I make mine with potent hallucinogens from the dream world." Fandango laughed to himself "Yeah, Luddy kind of devoured a whole tray of them and it was a pretty fun night afterwards. He actually stole a goat from somewhere and was convinced it was him from another life. And then Diabella and I thought it would be fun if we took him us when we crashed a rather formal shindig up in Poshly Heights. We certainly livened up that party." He cackled to himself, then nodded wisely "Ah, it was all good, he didn't drown in that chocolate fountain… but he did smell of chocolate for the following month. Serves him right though, who eats a whole tray of brownies without asking for permission first?"

"As much as I'd love to hear more stupid stories involving Ludwig," Iggy calmed his chuckling while Lemmy kept chortling "I have to go see Diabella. If you'll excuse me."

"No worries, we'll head down to Flaming Pants' café on the lagoon, you can't miss it, pal." Fandango waved back.

* * *

The key turned in the lock, slowly opening the heavy brass door. Ludwig was pleased to see his apartment was exactly as he left it. As he placed the satchel on his desk, he immediately wondered why there was no dust on any of the surfaces and how his tie pin had mysteriously been placed back on the shelf. He focused his mind temporarily, applying his new understanding of magic as a ball of violet light manifested in his claw. He raised his arm, looking away from it as the orb exploded into a flash of ultraviolet light. A ghostly whine whimpered behind him.

"Whoa! Too bright, too bright!" Gallileo squealed as she ripped from her camouflaged state, she frantically rubbed her eyes.

Ludwig marvelled at his talons "Guess that spell worked rather nicely. Why are you in my house?"

"Keeping the dust off, welcome back. How are you feeling?" She paused, sizing him up beneath her gaze and his slumped posture "What's wrong? You look like you got the weight of the world on your shoulders."

"It's none of your business."

"It's totally my business, come on Luddy, I thought we were friends."

"Where would you get such an absurd idea like that?"

Gallileo frowned going demure, Ludwig thought she was about to leave him alone. Only, she then snarled back, eyes glowing red and ectoplasmic vapour steaming from her form "You know what, you are a rude, over-entitled, greedy, obnoxious lout! You should consider yourself lucky you even have friends!"

Ludwig snapped "I am not like my father!" He then paused, flummoxed by his own words.

Gallileo's expression softened "Wait, are you scared of becoming like your dad? Where'd this come from?"

"Recently, so many questions about where I came from. I never really thought about it until now. King Boo told me he knew my parents and that they were horrible people really." He let out an exhausted sigh "I should've never gone back, it's just made everything worse."

"That's stupid, you know you can't go back. You can only go hurtling forward into the unknown adventure of life!" Gallileo pushed him into his chair "Do you know how Boos are made?"

He instinctively crossed his legs and growled, flames rising from his nostrils "No."

"What!? Get your head out of the gutter! That's necrophilia!" Gallileo pouted a little "No, a Boo is what you become if you die and you don't get changed into a Shayde or Skellobit. In other words, you abandon everything you were to be reborn. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's very effective."

"And the point of this lecture is?"

"At the end of the day, the only person you can be, is you. Sure, that may change as you get older and experience life, but you spend your life crafting who you are through your actions. So no matter what, you'll always know who you are and nothing can take that away." She leant in closer, eyeing him up suspiciously "Besides, how do you know you're acting like your dad? Have you ever met him?" Ludwig shook his head, she punched him in the shoulder "So how do y- wait a minute, if your parents are dead, maybe we can hold a séance so you can talk to them?" Gallileo nodded back to him, placing a hand over his mouth as she tittered "Relax, Magnifico and I will gather the reagents, there just one thing we need to get from the Twisted Manors. We'll have it sorted in a few days, alright!? Excellent."

Ludwig remained still as Gallileo flew out of the room like a whirlwind. Inadvertently she sent pages and lighter furniture flying in the process. He let out a sigh, nothing seemed to deter her when she got an idea in her head. He reluctantly went about tidying his apartment. Still caught in a miasma of uncertainty where nothing really felt the same. Unfortunately it seemed his problems had only been in hibernation during his stay in Rhapsody.


	7. A normal day

The various intel Gallileo had amassed revealed one thing to Diabella. That while the Mushroom Kingdom held potential for extremely powerful magic from the Star Road, they were either too scared or stupid to utilise it properly. However there appeared to be many notes of supposed villains this Mario had faced, yet they all still lived to an extent. The fool was not smart enough to take their lives and be done with them. Then again, his enemies did not seem to make attempt on his life either. It was a perplexing circumstance that made her question the nature of villainy and heroism in this era. She knew times had changed and she had to adapt to those changes, so it didn't make sense to her as to why Shalazia would suddenly rip open old wounds by involving the Mushroom Kingdom.

For now Diabella remained in her darkened laboratory. Minimal natural light filtered in from windows far too high to look out from. It was a Frankenstein of brass and steel machinations fused to the sturdier ruins in this section of the mires. The distillery was busy fermenting and brewing a foul concoction that permeated the air with acrid fumes. A few finer mechanical implements rested to the side; modifications to be added to a larger machine. She sat at her workbench, tinkering with metal pieces to reconstruct the broken prongs of her trident. With a final check of the repaired segments, she held it up, whirling the prongs around and twitching them like a claw. She smiled, satisfied with the level of repairs and placed it back down on the bench.

"Whoa! That looks awesome, you could've fixed that with your eyes closed!"

Turning on her seat, she instinctively leapt back onto the table and was poised to strike. Her hands were already wrapped around her remade trident. The menacing claw rotated and clicked like a serpent eying up its prey. Iggy trembled, eyes not leaving the weapon that loomed before his snout, and shyly waved to her "Hey… uh… Ms or Dr… Diabella?"

Looking up she noticed an open window and relaxed her stance, placing the trident back on the workbench "How did you get up there anyway? That's pretty impressive. It's just Diabella by the way."

"With difficulty… Really clever design here, mixing in the old ruins with new pieces while not compromising the surrounding environment, genius, really." Iggy adjusted his glasses "Besides, I was wondering if we could talk now that you're not distracted by Ludwig dying."

She kicked a stool over to him as she took a seat "Sure kid, what's up?"

"Well, you see, I want to know how to make giant organic monstrosities like you can, back at the Mushroom Kingdom when you unleashed that blinding storm I saw something in the cloud line."

Diabella froze with surprise "Go on?"

"It was huge… like an armoured worm with moth wings, the clouds, the lightning, everything to account for the abnormal weather was coming from that thing! And you're the only one I know who can control giant monster bugs, so… I'm assuming you made that thing."

Her brow furrowed as she growled "Yes, I did. You've got a keen eye. Most people think magic makes those storms."

He let out a gleeful squeal at this admission "How did you do that? That's amazing! The only method I can consider plausible is reanimating the remains of those creatures."

"So… what's the deal? Why do you think I should tell you such things?"

"Well, I'm just so curious about how it all works. I mean, it sounds amazing. The fact that you could actually build creatures like that, it's like something from a story. I just want to know how it works so can you please show me. I'll be happy to be your assistant for a while."

Diabella smirked "An assistant, huh?"

"Yes! I'll do whatever you want." Iggy then remembered Ludwig's warning "Except donate my body to science or kill anyone or be the test subject or eat meat."

"Fair enough, but as my assistant you'll also be running errands in Rhapsody. I help keep it running and maintain it so you need to work for those bohemians out there in the swamp."

"I will do it with pride, so long as you show me your way of working."

"Alright, but I'm not teaching you anything. You need to make your own notes. You're just going to be allowed to shadow me for a while." Diabella then blinked "Wait a minute, you're a Koopa, how can you not eat meat? I've seen Bowser's kitchen, it's just meat everywhere."

"I have a genetic disorder that stops the body producing certain enzymes that helps digest the protein found in meat. I identified it a few years back after I continuously had stomach problems." Iggy then remarked "Wait, how do you know what the castle is like?"

"I've looted it a few times. You've got a really nice lab by the way, much better than how it used to be decades ago. Oh and I fed your octo-chicken when I last passed through."

"Oh that explains where those went… um… well… thanks for feeding Jeffrey too, people don't seem to like him very much." Nervously, he adjusted his glasses again "I trade my meat portion for other people's side dishes. Ludwig and Morton were more than happy to help me out… sometimes Roy, but he's more picky when it comes to food. Something about a diet regime to build muscle… or something, I don't know."

Diabella raised an eyebrow, surprised at how easy it was to distract him. "So they still fed you meat?"

"Bowser thinks it's something I can overcome by exposing myself to it… He doesn't quite understand biology and physiology." Iggy tapped his talons on his knees "So… am I your assistant? I can't tell."

"Yeah, I saw you back at the Mushroom Kingdom. Takes a real animal person to control a chain chomp that's been fed a power star, an important part of building monsters is being able to control them. So I reckon you have a chance of succeeding… like a sixty seven percent survival rate."

"That's a great odd, I'll take it!"

The door of the laboratory then creaked open, unlocked deadbolts rattling as Scaramouch wandered in. Her arms were nearly overflowing with books and papers. "Wow! People are really psyched about this possible raid on Port Prisma. Gallileo has a lot of logistics to work through. People are still adding notes our suggestion box downtown and there are so many volunteers this time around." She walked past Iggy to say "Hey Diabella? You done with those new engine parts yet? I want to test drive my hovercraft again."

Diabella walked ahead of Scaramouch, opening a side door to reveal a study and library away from the laboratory. Iggy followed after the pair as they went in to set the books down; a small step connected the doorway to the floor of the sunken chamber which was lined with books. It reminded him of King Boo's library at the Twisted Manor. Curiously he noted the abundance of swords embedded or displayed on the few bare patches of walls. There were also pictures of Diabella, Fandango and that Boo, Gallileo, the three of them were in all kinds of pictures from old time themed wanted posters to vintage and period pictures. They looked pretty authentic which made Iggy sigh "You guys really take costume parties seriously, huh? Nice wiggly, wiggly blades too."

Diabella replied politely "Thanks, I like collecting swords, sort of an old habit of mine. Yeah, Fandango, Gallileo and I go back a very long way so these are just more quaint memories."

Scaramouch interrupted "So, you mentioned a test drive? How quickly can we get started?"

"I'll hook it up in a bit. Probably give it a spin around the swamp today and go annoy Shalazia tomorrow or the next day?" Diabella turned to Iggy "You should go wandering, familiarise yourself with the swamplands and the town. If you don't, I can't guarantee your survival. I expect you to learn everything you can through your observations and I want you to create a journal of your findings… then maybe I'll let you work with me on some of my experiments."

Iggy found himself distracted again when an acrid scent burned his nostrils, glancing to the side he identified the source from a small distillery in the corner of the laboratory. He followed the scent out into the laboratory with Diabella and Scaramouch following. Preoccupied by the scent, he began sniffing it a little, his forked tongue poked in and out of his mouth as he thought aloud "Formaldehyde, propylene glycol… bit of gunpowder and something else… can't quite pick it."

"That's a good nose you got there," Diabella was equally distracted by his rambling "That'd be the alkaline, not telling you which one it is though."

"Wait a minute, why are you distilling an embalming fluid and mixing it with gunpowder?"

She shrugged back "Coz I feel like it. Now get going. I'll call you when I need you."

"Thankyou so much!" Iggy practically bounded out the door.

Scaramouch sighed "So is he gonna be dead by the end of the week like the last one who agreed to be your assistant?"

"I hope not." Diabella remarked while she collected the new engine pieces and her toolkit. They both descended into the lower catacombs to modify the hovercraft in question.

Scaramouch carefully descended at a slower pace; her stubby legs were far too short for the large steps. "You wouldn't have happened to have seen Fandango around here? I know he hangs out in your ceiling and the Gallileo's apartment is empty."

"It's not a movie night so of course the apartment is empty. Actually, Gallileo has floated off as well..." Diabella paused, allowing her to catch up "Nah, haven't seen Fandango today. Why?"

"Magnifico wanted to know, apparently he dumped some koopa named Lemmy on her while he ran off somewhere."

"Probably went off to annoy Shalazia. You know what he's like."

* * *

The main plaza of the Canal City thrived with life. Mario and Peach sat outside a small café, enjoying each other's company as the citizens of the Arcane Kingdom wandered past. There were quite a few watery guards in the mix. Although they were too preoccupied with their discussion to notice that the guards were removing Koopas from the main street and shoving them into the alleyways. Peach poured him another cup of tea, a gentle and relaxed expression on her face. She seemed to have calmed down over the past few carefree days in Shalazia's kingdom. Mario was also glad that Luigi and Daisy understood and kept their distance frequently, allowing them to have to have time together. He never really had a chance to be with Peach, she always seemed to be either busy with running her kingdom or the key part of a villain's plot.

His brow furrowed at the thought, Peach was without a doubt the most compassionate and kind hearted person he had ever met. Yet she seemed to be cursed with always being the victim of a plot far greater than her. How these mysterious relics of ultimate power kept appearing was a mystery he did not want answered. Although, he did want to know how malicious people kept discovering their existence. In light of it all, it almost compelled him to defend Peach, after all, she was just a princess, trained in the ways of governance and matters of royalty. She was not a warrior in any sense and while the Star Spirits favoured her, she appeared to have too weak of an ability to properly wield them.

"Mario, Mario?" Her voice chimed, a smile was on her face "Why do you look so worried?"

"It's nothing, just thinking about how to find these pieces of the Prism Star."

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Well, princess, I don't want you or Daisy to accompany us for this. I just have a bad feeling. I mean, you know what happened with Count Bleck, Cackletta, the Shroob invasion and the Shadow Queen… I don't want you to go through all that again."

"I was about to suggest the same thing," Peach laughed at Mario's surprised face. She elaborated "Shalazia and I spoke a few nights ago. She told me that the Lightning Queen and her steampunks are trying to destroy every aspect of this kingdom. Her people are really suffering…"

Mario looked around at the happy crowds "That seems hard to believe."

"There are people, they are known as the Lightning Queen's steampunks… they're trying to convince everyone that they don't need Shalazia anymore. It's more subtle and completely despicable to spread such horrible ideas." Peach nodded, clasping her hands together "Perhaps if I stay, I could help the citizens of this kingdom trust Shalazia again."

As always, Mario was not surprised by her kindness and utter belief that truth would prevail. Her optimism was enviable. The crowds were disrupted by screams as someone barged through the swath of people and ducked into an alleyway. Peach knowingly nodded to him as Mario tipped his cap back at her and pursued the source of the problem.

The navy and black alleyway had small gutters of water lining the pathway. Three water guards encased in icy armour had a Koopa Troopa struggling in their grips. Before them defiantly stood a familiar, horned Shy-Guy; Mario sighed "That guy again?"

A knight answered robotically "Halt! You are a trespasser! Enemy of Shalazia."

He let out a sigh, knowing it would be a waste of breath trying to talk with them "Like my mother always said, when all else fails, just blow it up. Oh wait, I'm a Shy-Guy now, I don't have a mother."

Fandango reached into his coat, taking a few steps back as the guards advanced. He retrieved three large orbs from the folds of fabric, he moved swiftly as he ducked and dodged their swipes at him. Within seconds she had slipped an orb into each of the guards. They frantically pawed at their aqueous bodies as the orbs glowed bright red. Without warning each of them exploded into shards of ice and a watery vapour. Fandango laughed at the mist as he performed a victory dance.

When Mario finally caught up after the sneak attack, he was faced with the remains of Shalazia's guards. Even though they were magical constructs, the sight of their mangled forms and splatters of glistening water upon the walls disturbed him. Amidst it was Fandango, his mask was unreadable yet his voice sounded curious and coy "What's with that weird hat anyway? Can I try it on?"

"I'm Mario, there's nothing wrong with my hat and you can't try it on," He took a fighting stance, remaining on the edge of his toes "What have you done?"

Fandango stated in a calm, collected way "Why does it even matter to you?"

Mario faltered for a second, unsure of how to respond. He then noticed the crest beneath Fandango's hood, his eyes narrowed "So you're one of those monsters who work for the Lightning Queen."

He cackled and tried to mimic snapping one's fingers through his robe "Now I remember, you're some wannabe hero from the Mushroom Kingdom, trying to act out the tale of a knight saving the fair maiden from the dragon in a modern age." Fandango rocked on his heels "You blindly help anyone with a pretty face begging for your assistance. Have you ever thought that maybe you're putting yourself in danger by being here? Like there are more villains out there aside from King Bowser… and they don't all play a fair game like he does."

Mario did not mean to lose his composure, his anger took control of his body as he watched his fist clench and lunge forward. Fandango tossed another orb at the ground, choking Mario's senses with thick smog. When it cleared, he had disappeared from the alleyway. He heard him laugh overhead, directing his gaze upwards to where he was standing on top of a nearby building.

"Come down here! Everything you're doing just shows that Shalazia's right about you!"

"Look, have I directly attacked you? NO! We've just had chats. You'd also want to stay away from Shalazia, she was driven insane by a king she loved who treated her like dirt. Sad really." Fandango sighed "By the way, you wouldn't happen to know a kid called Lemmy? I've trusted him with an important task."

"You're cooperating with Bowser!?"

"Nah, just know him. Anyway, I've asked him to order me a latte and I'm very particular about my lattes so… is it right of me to trust him with this task?"

Mario bluntly said "No."

"So serious… oh no! MY LATTE IS IN PERIL! MIA! COME TO ME!" Fandango shouted as a giant chain chomp tore through the city towards him. Mario narrowly jumped out of the way as buildings tumbled overhead.

By the time Mario looked up again, Fandango was gone. When he returned to same street once more he was relieved to see Peach unharmed. That could not be said for the town as the trail of destruction tore a gash through the peaceful settlement. He could already see smoke and flames rise from the distance. Shalazia's guards and various citizens scattered to control the situation. The various screams from the people around him informed him that an abandoned set of buildings had been targeted and while the structures were ablaze, miraculously no one was harmed. Mario strained to listen to what was destroyed, only hearing that it was the guard barracks which was puzzling on all levels to him. Before he could question anyone, he was promptly escorted alongside Peach back to the castle.


	8. An awful night

From the window Luigi and Daisy were enthralled by the sight in the distance. That morning, the barracks, a stunning blue and gold building, was reduced to rubble. However in a few short hours the structure rose from the rubble to grow back in place as though nothing had happened. Watery tendrils ascended from the canals to rebuild it with effortless grace.

Daisy mused aloud "Think you can rig the pipes back in my kingdom to do that?"

Luigi scratched the back of his head "Might be a tall order, Daisy."

"Still," her voice dropped to a whisper as she said to him "She doesn't seem too worried for someone who just had part of their city destroyed."

He leant in closer and whispered back "Who? Shalazia?"

"Yeah, she didn't even freak out over it. I sure as hell would if someone did that to my kingdom."

"Maybe it's happened so often that's it's normal to her, poor lady. Having to live with attacks like this all the time."

"I dunno Luigi," Daisy focused on the view of the city bellow them "Given what we saw in the Mushroom Kingdom, this Lightning Queen is capable of reducing whole castle and cities to rubble almost instantly… why hasn't she just done the same here?"

"You're overthinking it Daisy, there's nothing bad going on other than what Shalazia's told us."

"Keep telling yourself that." She raised an eyebrow at him, her expression was unreadable.

On the other side of the study, Shalazia sat in her armchair with Mario and Peach opposite her. On the table between them was a jewelry box holding two pieces of the Prism Star. She solemnly informed "There are still five pieces at large, three points I know of, the two faces continue to elude me. I don't know how, they must be hidden either in a place with no water or it's in a great vastness of water so large it's like looking for a needle in a haystack… but give me time, I'm sure I can find a way to replicate the power of a star by substituting a few things."

For a moment Daisy could have sworn Shalazia was eying up Mario, Luigi and Peach with a calculating, menacing gaze.

Peach happily declared, oblivious to Daisy's observation "Oh, but I have one of them back at my castle."

Shalazia remarked "No, I took the liberty of retrieving it when I chased the Lightning Queen from your kingdom."

Mario blinked, considering it a rather peculiar thing for someone to do. Well, he'd easily suspect Wario and Waluigi would do that but not a regal and noble princess. He dismissed the thought as perhaps the attacks were so frequent she had been desensitised to them. He nodded to Luigi as he saw his brother and Daisy take their seats around the table. The whole chamber looked like it had been ripped from distant eras of opulence. Even the steps appeared gilded with gold and little sapphire embellishments. The grandeur spoke of an age where money was no object and countless lives easily made treasures of extreme luxury for the elite minority. Even the books were heavy with gold edges and leather embossments, but in prime condition unlike the ghastly tomes of King Boo's realm.

"Did Fandango hurt you, Mario?" Shalazia inquired calmly "I heard you confronted him earlier."

He slowly returned to reality "Is that what his name is, yeah, I'm fine now."

Luigi raised an eyebrow "Who is Fandango anyway?"

Shalazia growled, the very thought of it disgusted her "One of the Steampunks, an anarchic thug a Shy Guy from the mines in the falls, he tends to be with his pet Chain Chomps but even alone he is unpredictable and dangerous… worse yet is that his voice is the same as someone I knew long ago… it's eerie."

"Isn't Fandango that crazy Shy Guy we met on the way here?" Daisy reminded, letting out a sigh of annoyance "Remember, he smashed our compass and left us to die in that maze."

Shalazia raised an eyebrow "See what I mean. You're lucky he was alone, he tends to be with Scaramouch, a poisonous Toad, when he visits my kingdom. She or rather he, I don't know… it began its life of debauchery in Rogueport, working for the Pianta cartel. Then as far as I can tell, he became a she when it joined the Lightning Queen."

"Be careful with how you address Toads, Shalazia," Peach gently corrected "They're genderless and merely choose who they want to be… however it is rare to see a Toad change their gender multiple times."

Luigi appeared more interested with the various boxes on the table. Mario questioned on their behalf "So who are the other Steampunks? Will they try to stop us from getting the pieces?"

"Definitely, let's see, there's Figaro and Magnifico, a Hammer Bro and Magikoopa, defectors of the Koopa Kingdom and extremely dangerous in any fight. Avoid engaging them in combat at any cost as they are trained soldiers." Shalazia's shoulders dropped "Then there's the other one, I can't even pretend that I understand her. A Boo called Gallileo, I don't know if she's a traitor to King Boo though… she's tricky, she'll possess inanimate objects but never face you directly. She claims she's a pacifist but I know better… like Fandango she also has the voice of someone I knew long ago… it's all a sick game by the Lightning Queen! She's trying to drive me insane with those haunting voices."

Daisy suggested "Well, Boos and Shy Guys have connections to worlds beyond the game we're in… like Boos are what happens when souls escape Queen Jaydes and King Nimbi. Shy Guys are some weird manifestation of a nightmare… so maybe someone you knew respawned as them?"

"Thanks for the warning, princess, but we'll handle it with no problem." Mario assured despite Luigi's glance of disbelief.

"Which is why I prepared those badges, they work akin to an ice flower although you can use it to craft all kinds of things from ice." Shalazia passed two of the smaller blue and gold boxes to Mario and Luigi. Resting upon velvet within the cases were two azure stars flourished golden edges.

Peach admired them "Oh wow, those are beautiful."

"Shiny." Luigi smirked as he childishly picked up one of them and carefully examined it in his hand.

Mario directed the conversation back on track "Now, where are the remaining pieces you know of?"

"One is hidden in the ancient tombs beneath the Twisted Manors, one is in the deepest mines of the Shy Guy Falls and the third is currently hidden somewhere in Bowser's Castle."

"How do you know this?" Daisy was personally finding this whole situation a little peculiar. Although she could not quite explain why so for now all she could do was listen.

"I have my ways, sadly I cannot retrieve them myself as the water nearby is either non-existent or too polluted for me to use."

"Don't worry about it, princess." Mario boldly declared as he rose from his seat "Luigi and I will go get the pieces you do know of."

Luigi nervously added "Yeah, but, maybe you can go to the Twisted Manors on your own."

"Come on, we'll get the Poltergust from along the way." Mario confidently answered as he and his brother set off. They would spend the next few hours preparing for the journey before locating a warp pipe.

"It's alright, we'll help you locate the last pieces." Peach offered kindly as she gestured to herself and Daisy.

For the meantime, Daisy remained civil and polite as she played along with being a gracious princess. She knew she had to bide her time before she could work out what was really going on. The others may have been content to believe Shalazia blindly, but something was so uneasy about this entire situation. Little did she know, she was being watched with the same level of scrutiny.

* * *

Night had settled over the Arcane Kingdom as Peach closed the door of the guest quarters. Mario and Luigi were presently on their way to the Twisted Manors. She hoped that King Boo would not hinder their efforts, after all, what would he have to gain from stopping them now. Unless he really was that petty that he would torment Luigi at any chance possible. Her mind was so fraught with concern and the eerie quietness of the castle only fed the dread. Hours after their departure, something had changed in the castle, it felt less welcoming and Shalazia had become distant. She even retreated to her chambers and requested that she not be disturbed. Peach sighed to herself, perhaps the gravity of the situation had finally reached the icy princess. A part of her wanted to go to Shalazia's side and offer support and comfort.

This was interrupted by the sight of Daisy heading towards her made her pause, the brunette's determined expression was almost intimidating. Peach was genuinely concerned "Daisy, are you alright?"

"No, I'm not," She nervously looked over her shoulder "Shalazia's up to something, I know it."

"What!? Why would you say that? She's been nothing but kind to us since we arrived."

"Well, why doesn't she seem concerned about her citizens? Part of city just blew up today, why doesn't she care?"

Peach gently assured "She does, she just expresses it differently. Didn't you notice how she retreated. She's probably bawling her eyes out in her bedroom!"

"I know you want to see the best in people, but nothing's right here and I need to find out why." Daisy put her foot down as she boldly declared "I'm going to go look around the barracks. Whether you agree with me or not." She shoved past Peach but her hand was stopped before it could reach the door.

Peach held Daisy's hand to inform "It's better that we go together, when we find nothing out of the ordinary I expect you to apologise and not say anything mean about Shalazia. Then we are going to go to her chambers and cheer her up."

Daisy begrudgingly nodded back, sometimes Peach was just too nice for her own good. In all honesty, Daisy hoped she was wrong. There was no telling what would happen or what they could even do about it if they found something incriminating about the Water Princess.

Beneath the cloak of starry darkness, they quietly moved through the castle and to the boulevards of the city. Tranquillity reigned as silence stalked the streets like the entirety of the Arcane Kingdom was frozen in time. Not a sound could be heard, not a soul to be seen, nor a light in the windows of the houses. Oddly the view from the balconies of the castle had offered a different sight. A thriving city bustling with lights, Peach warily did not want to admit openly that something was indeed wrong. With trepidation, they made their way to newly reconstructed barracks. The building was eerily silent, the gold and blue walls shone beneath the moon. When Daisy tried to open the main double doors, she had to hold her tongue from the surprise of the doors slowly parting. The shadowy corridor lied before her, she looked back to Peach who appeared equally disturbed.

"Come on, we have to do this. Mario and Luigi would do the same thing if they were here." Daisy remarked as she entered with Peach following in tow. Little did they realise that another was watching their every move through the soundless city.

The barracks were immaculate just like the castle. Everything was overembellished with gold and gemstones that it hardly looked like a place for instruments of war. Every room was set perfectly with beautiful furniture and luxurious artworks. The air was still though, every chamber felt lifeless as Peach and Daisy methodically combed through each room. Their search revealed nothing other than Shalazia had a very different understanding of the word barracks. They were about to quit their fruitless search when Daisy saw something peculiar about a nearby book. The spine was encrusted with more gems than the others as it remained sandwiched between torrents of tomes. When she attempted to retrieve it a mechanism whirled to life. The neighbouring mantle and fireplace politely bowed then stepped back to reveal a stairwell.

Unable to resist her curiosity, Daisy followed the stairs despite hearing Peach's protests against the thought. Her heels clacked on the stone, a musty scent of mould hung in the air, it reminded her of the cellars in her own castle. The parts that were so ancient they were standing in the days of the kingdom's founder, Queen Belladonna. Like magic, metal torches mounted on the walls ignited with wispy blue flames. They illuminated the chambers that the barracks concealed and the strange machinations that took residence there.

Daisy imagined this was what stepping back in time felt like because she was surely in a medieval dungeon. Implements of torture hung grotesquely from the walls. Strange racks and cages and iron maidens littered the subterranean hall. More disturbing was the fact that they were dirty with rust and flecks of crimson, they had been used many times before. Amidst them were other devices dotted with large pale, clear gems and sharp looking blades connected by vibrant cyan strings. Upon closer inspection, the gems were nothing but high quality glass and the string was not a fabric weave. It was rubbery and flexible yet hollow like an artery, there was no telling what it was truly made of.

An open notebook on a nearby counter caught her attention. The text was written in a runic alphabet she had never seen before. The pictures were worth a thousand words for they documented a strange process involving Star Spirits and gemstones. A flick through the pages revealed more runic charts showing the gems as catalysts for spells involving people, these gems were like the ones set in Shalazia's crown. Some of the victims depicted were the target of the effects, other were sacrificed to the charms. Another page depicted some kind of gateway or a gathering point of magical energies like a well of some form. She picked up the tome, focused on the knowledge contained within.

Peach had finally mustered the courage to descend the stairs. Part of her regretted this instantly, this was not Bowser's dungeon or anywhere near what she was used to as a kidnap victim. Her eyes never left the surroundings when she approached her friend "What are you reading Daisy?"

"I was right," Daisy whispered timidly, she then cleared her throat to ask "If Shalazia is innocent, why does she have this book? Just looking at the pictures, it's all about rites of human sacrifice and stealing Star Spirits to bind them to jewels and then… well… I don't even know what the end result of what these things are."

Before Peach could respond, Daisy had already shoved the book into her hands. A slow clap mocked them as yet another descended the stairs. Both felt the dread rise in the pits of their stomachs. Shalazia was blocking the only exit from this place. Her face was now contorted with disgust like she had been tasked with taking out the garbage. She sneered "Now the heroes are off, we can be done with this charade. I don't usually like leaving idiots to do my dirty work but I have no other options. Finally after thousands years, I actually have the upper hand on my siblings! More graceful is that I will be doing it through the very kingdom that opened my eyes to the truth."

"What is… all… this…" Peach was bug eyed at the sight of everything. She kept hoping this was all some horrible dream and she would awaken any moment now.

"Remnants of the Arcane Crusade, what this kingdom was meant to be." Shalazia growled coldly, menacingly stepping forward with every threat "The stars denied us their benevolence and why? Because they feared us! So, my siblings stole Star Spirits and forced them to obey. Just as you both will. Oh, how far the righteous Mushroom Kingdom has fallen! Their descendants have given me not one, but three star children to perform the rites with, Lentinellus has truly blessed me. The Prism Star will be reforged and I will no longer be just a monarch, I'll be so much more." She was enthralled by her monologue, a derange smile on her lips "Then I'll finally get rid of her, yes, my sisters and brother will no longer be a thorn in my side! Keeping me caged within this kingdom like some miserable pet. Then I can be with my beloved Lentinellus! My sweet, wise, beautiful king! He will be mine after he sees all that I've done for him."

Daisy and Peach attempted to back away but found immobilised by the sudden chill in the air. Frost began to grow from their hands and feet like a parasitic mould. Daisy shouted back "You're completely insane! Let us go!"

"Insane!? You'd be too if you lived through the Era of Ire, only to see how far all of our kingdoms have fallen, how weak we've truly become! I am here to reawaken our true potential, to restore each empire to its rightful calling. To unite with my Lentinellus and take him away from that treacherous Stellara! You know she bedded his knight, you know she produced a child from that sordid affair, a little brat named Rosalina." Shalazia was a breath away from them as she smirked cruelly to Peach "But I cannot do it alone and I thank you for your noble sacrifice, darling." She tousled Peach's blonde locks, the frost growing further and further to almost envelop Peach.

Peach attempted to swat her hand away, her limbs sluggish as her blood slowed like molasses "Sacrifice!? I'm not a sacrifice!"

"Yes you are, Star Spirits are hard to come by now, can't blame them after the way my family hunted them in the sky… so I need a collection of Star Children instead in order to reforge the Prism Star."

"Please, stop this! What have we done to you!? You don't have to do this! Nothing is making you."

"You see, that is where you're wrong… I **need** to do this because my kingdom made me do it! I've been trapped for so long by my siblings and whatever rejected misfits they throw at me! Centuries actually, and now I have a chance to get an advantage over them to gain full control of this kingdom, to finally break from this gilded cage and become the one queen I was destined to be. Lentinellus told me it was my fate to rule alone as I was the most beautiful and talented of my siblings." She tittered with glee "Enjoy your beauty sleep, I'll wake you when I need you, sweetie." She glared at Daisy as she said "I don't know what to do with you yet, stay frozen for now. I'll shatter you when I have my smashing armour on."

Shalazia stepped back to admire her handiwork, before her stood two pristine ice statues of Peach and Daisy. She retrieved her tome with a smug sense of satisfaction. Everything was going according to plan, now all she had to do was await Mario and Luigi's return with the shards and locate two more Star children. She giggled under her breath "Oh Astrapi, you're going to regret ever taking the Prism Star from me. Gaia and Floga, you're going to regret respawning in this game as those disgusting glitches to get in my way… no matter, I will end all your games again if I have to."

With a song in her heart and skip in stride, Shalazia left the barracks feeling so much better now.


	9. Answers abound

The unsettling vastness of blue seas rolled beyond the horizon. Occasionally shifting with a flourish of white spray as the waves became bored with the serenity. The frustrating tide only made the ship rock uneasily, reminding Bowser as to why he hated the ocean. At least in the sky you never had problems like this unless there was a storm. By then night had fallen upon the seas yet again and there was still no sight of land in any direction. In fact, other than the breeze, there was nothing anywhere near the Sweet Stuff. Since being pried from the colossal Blooper, Bowser had remained mostly on deck and close to the middle of the ship. He was far too large to fit through any of the doorways.

Slumped near the railing he kept an eye on the waves for a while. The salty stench of the sea irritated his nostrils as he sneezed a plume of fire into the air. He always hated large bodies of water, especially oceans. It was not from an aversion to water, he could still swim or rather sink when he needed to. Instead he despised being wet which meant his fire prowess was less effective than he wanted. Although, he had caused plenty of pain by burning people with steam when he was particularly livid and soaked.

"So… what's your problem with the Lightning Queen?" Syrup had practically appeared from nowhere. Bottle of rum in hand as she casually leant against the railing, her gaze never left the stars overhead.

Bowser growled back, smoke curled from the corners of his mouth "She stole something of mine… actually she stole a lot of things that are valuable to me."

"Seriously? I never picked your kingdom as having anything worth stealing." She stated as a matter of fact "If you did, then I'd be a regular visitor."

"Are you kidding me!?" Bowser's brow furrowed "I've stolen treasure from all over the world, I have so much gold I can fill an ocean with it! I ha-"

Syrup waved her hand dismissively "Yeah, fine, but you got nothing of intrigue, no ancient relics, no priceless one of a kind gems. Just boring old gold and some lack lustre crystals." She took another gulp of rum, pausing to enjoy the sweet burn go down her throat "Don't get me wrong, I love my gold but when you operate from a ship you need things you can carry off easily. You ever tried to cart ten thousand coins away? It's bloody heavy and a wasted effort, you're better off taking a ruby worth the same amount that fits in your pocket." She laughed under her breath "But when you do see something ridiculous to steal, you make a show of it so people will remember it and you become a legend in the process."

His anger kept boiling as he fought the urge to rip the ship to pieces "Lack lustre crystals? So you HAVE been in my castle before!"

A wicked smirk appeared as she coyly answered "Of course I have, but what can I say, there are more lucrative and much smarter targets out there."

Bowser pouted like a child "Like the Mushroom Kingdom?"

"Since that big gold statue of their princess nothing has really caught my attention. That place is so boring."

"Then where do steal stuff from? Sarasaland!?"

She snorted her rum from laughing too hard. As she recomposed herself, she said "I take it you are unfamiliar with geography. The world is a massive place. It's not just all about the Koopa Kingdom and the Mushroom Kingdom."

"I've been to other places too! It's just… I didn't think there was anything worth taking, that's all. Not even worth conquering." Bowser defensively hissed back "Complete waste of time for me, the king of awesome!" Syrup raised an unimpressed eyebrow from this remark. He growled "I AM the king of awesome, lady, and don't you forget it!"

Syrup rolled her eyes "Yeah, I'm so impressed, look at how impressed I am. You scurvy cur! I'd hang you from the halyards but they'd break under your weight."

"I'm not fat! I've just got a big shell! You know, maybe you'd make a worthy minion if you didn't have such a smart mouth on you."

She held her tongue, probably not the greatest idea to taunt a giant monster turtle lizard that breathes fire and acts like a toddler. In the corner of her eye she noticed a glimmer to her side. Reflexively she grabbed the throwing dagger hidden in her belt and threw it blindly in that direction.

Waluigi yelped as the flying dagger almost hit him in the face, narrowly shooting past to embed itself in the cabin door. Before he could gather his wits, she was already upon him with a firm hand gripped around his scrawny neck. She kicked the bundle he had in hand, how had she detected him? Waluigi was a master of stealth, it was why he and Wario became partners in crime. It was utterly unfathomable that anyone would be able to notice him.

The bundle of cloth hit the deck and unfurled slightly to reveal the large Star Diamond she kept in her cabin. Syrup threw Waluigi to the ground, using the moment to snatch her dagger from the wall.

Waluigi was cocky as he sat up, his neck still hurt from where she grabbed him "Guess there's more going on here than I originally thought. Like why there's more than one of those big, rare looking diamonds lying around."

Syrup waited for him to stand once again, for Waluigi to just step a little to his left. She violently charged, head butting him in the chest like a wild bull to send him tumbling into an emergency dingy. She cut the ropes to send him sprawling down to sea level.

When she turned, she saw the diamond was now in Bowser's claws. He cruelly laughed "This is mine now, minion."

The gemstone was mesmerising, Bowser seldom practiced magic but he still knew when artefacts held such enchantments. He could not wait to hand it over to Kamek and the Magikoopas so he could work out what it was exactly and how he could use it. He was distracted he did not notice that Syrup was currently aiming a loaded cannon at him.

"I am not your minion, I am the captain of the Black Sugar Pirates and don't you forget it you fat, old, pathetic, turtle! I was going to keep you around to deal with any other giant Bloopers, maybe even as a drinking buddy, but it's not worth it." She light the short fuse and bargained "Hand it over and maybe I'll put this out."

"As if a cannonball is gonna scratch me!" Bowser flexed for her "I'm too ripped for that!"

Syrup appeared to have yet another trick up her sleeve, she lobbed a grappling hook at his hand. The force of which caused him to drop the diamond. When Bowser bent over to collect it, the fuse had run its course. A cannonball was sent crashing into his face, sending him overboard and into the great unknown. She smiled, the Sweet Stuff was her personal ship meaning the cannons were small enough for her to move around easily, aim and fire.

"Scaramouch did wonders on the firing mechanisms." Syrup whistled as she marvelled her cannons "I should probably get her something nice for her trouble."

Wario finally stumbled up from below deck, the sound of a scuffle and cannon firing woke him from his nap. He was greeted by the sight of Syrup with the diamond in hand. He was embarrassed to admit that at this time of night, with the moon and stars overhead. She actually looked rather beautiful. "Wait, where's Waluigi and the other guy?" He picked his nose "What's his name? Where'd you get that diamond!? I thought mine was one of a kind!"

"Bowser and it's not, apparently. Believe me, I'm not pleased by that either. I'm actually on my way to talk to the person who gave it to me." Syrup corrected as she shoved another cannon to aim in his direction "This agreement is over, you're not welcome here landlubber! It's alright though, Waluigi and that dingy can't be too far from here."

"Gimme that diamond!" Wario lunged forward "You owe me for all that treasure you stole from the Shake Kingdom!" He snatched the diamond from her hand.

Syrup was enraged, her head clouded by anger and vitriol as she went to her cannon "I've had it with you! Get off my ship!"

"Oh yeah and what're you gonna do to make me leave!" Wario's answer came in the form of a cannonball hitting him in the chest. Apparently, she could make him leave.

Syrup casually waved to no one as she bid her passengers farewell. She then returned to the helm to resume the journey in peace. She personally held no real grudges towards them, but she had to teach them a lesson for going through _her_ cabin and taking _her_ treasure. Well, if she had it her way she'd keelhaul them but sadly it was just her with no crew, so the fun had to be put on hold. She then realised Wario still had the diamond "Ah… shiver me timbers… well… hopefully he dropped it in the ocean… no need to tell Diabella… I hope…"

Syrup then quickly ran to helm and changed course to rendezvous with the rest of her crew. There was no need to go to Rhapsody right now.

* * *

The cool air was a welcome change to the bright spotlights of the stage as Ludwig sat in a quiet corner in the courtyard of the Bone Pit. The outside décor was more about celebrating the barren landscape of the Dark Lands rather than an abundance of flowers. Dark tiled floor, smooth furniture moulded from charcoal coloured stone and small panes of red glass in the walls flickered menacingly. He had no idea what time it was, only that there was a dark night overhead. Still completely flummoxed by Iggy's announcement of being Diabella's assistant; the eager ramblings of his younger friends faded to white noise. Since returning to Rhapsody he busied himself with work and hearing what other crazy theories Lemmy and Iggy had concocted in his absence. Surprisingly they appeared to have read that tome about the Era of Ire from cover to cover, he had never seem either of them so fixated on a book before. Ludwig could see so many patterns and answers emerging but no real evidence to justify them.

An answer abruptly came as Diabella swaggered over and shoved a plastic covered sheet in Iggy's face. She laughed "Reward for not dying so far. I'll be at the bar, kids."

Iggy was ecstatic "Holy moly! Look at this! I know this binding, it's definitely Bowser's."

Ludwig probed "What makes you say that?"

Lemmy added "The fact that it says 'property of Bowser, do not touch ever' on it."

"So… what is it?"

Iggy adjusted his glasses "Photos… but that Lucia lady from that portrait at the manor is in here… there's also this other guy that looks like Morton and another guy that kinda…"

Lemmy added "Looks like a freaky mix of you and Larry…"

The plastic covered page was collection of family portraits at varying life stages from hatchlings to Koopalings and finally adults. The younger photos showed them all together but as adults they were taken separately. In each one was Bowser and three others they had never known of until now. The only girl in the pictures was Ludwig's mother, Lucia, he could tell instantly from those cruel, calculating eyes and buck tooth. She appeared to have gone through phases of wearing elaborate headgear to hide her baldness. Ludwig did not want to be there when Wendy eventually saw these photos. She had been openly hoping to grow hair for quite some time now. It was a peacock effect, the men had varied scale colours, vibrant hair and large horns while the women looked rather plain in comparison. Still terrifyingly monstrous, but they were more streamlined in their appearance like they were there to rip you a part when you were distracted by the men.

The other two were male, one bearing a freakish resemblance to Iggy in his youth to become a tall, gangly Dragon Koopa. His eyes were bloodshot and bright red while his violet hair was shaped roughly into a tall Mohawk framed by long, forward facing horns. His teeth appeared to be oozing with a neon green liquid. A star above two stripes was marked on either side of his head. The second man looked like Morton Jr in his youth only to become a towering juggernaut in adulthood. From the photos he appeared even larger than Bowser. Completely bald aside from his bushy red eyebrows, his scales were akin to Bower's and he sported a massive pair of horns curving over his head and large tusks from his mouth.

"So… you reckon our parents were Bowser's siblings?" Lemmy sighed.

Ludwig "We'll have to grill Bowser about it lately, but I'd say it's accurate that you, Iggy and Larry are brothers and the sons of this tall gangly fellow. While Roy, Wendy and Morton are the kids of this massive guy… both of which appear to be Bowser's brothers…"

Iggy's words blurred together in a panicked rush "Don't you see what this means!? Bowser lied to us about everything, but why would he lie anyway!? What did he stand to gain from it? And what happened between them? Why are there no family reunions!?"

"Technically we don't know everything about what happened to our aunty, but I reckon we'll get more pieces together if we work through the meanings of that book you got. I mean, why else would King Boo let us have it?" Lemmy laughed happily, almost relieved "This is the best news I've seen in ages! We are related… just not Bowser's kids. That's a load off! Could you imagine living up to taking over the throne? No thankyou! But at least we know we're allowed to live in the castle, I don't think I'd survive long outside the Dark Lands… unless I joined a circus. Then I'd be fine!"

"How did Diabella have all this anyway? How does she always seem to know so much?" Ludwig calmly interjected amidst the buzzing chatter "I swear, she's hiding something huge and I'm going to find out what it is. Everything that has happened is too connected to be just a coincidence. It's like were just pawns on a giant chess board and this game has been going on long before we were born."

Iggy wiped his glasses with a napkin "And how do you plan to do that? I mean, that is a pretty wild theory after all. What kind of game would we be part of anyway?"

Lemmy beamed "I hope it's wacky and colourful and full of explosions!"

Ludwig narrowed his eyes, letting out a guttural hiss when he spied Diabella on the other side of the courtyard. Why did that woman always play the fool? It boiled his blood as he silently rose from his seat and stomped over to her. He growled under a polite demeanour "Wait here and don't interfere."

His eyebrows knotted as Ludwig realised what he said, quick as ever Lemmy chimed in "Hey, you're a poet and you didn't even know it!"

Leaving the cackling of his cousins behind, Ludwig approached Diabella's table with determined steps. Although he would have preferred his mind were clearer on what words to exchange with her. Diabella cheered, she then looked over and saw Ludwig standing to the side of the table. She raised a casual eyebrow "Look who's still alive, wanna drink?"

"Uh… no… I'm…" Ludwig chewed on his bottom lip, face screwing up as he felt like a fool.

"Something on your mind?"

"A lot… one being that I thought we had an understanding."

"And what understanding is that?"

"That we don't act like feral, moronic, savages to one another like my pathetic uncle and that moustachioed plumber. I thought you were a reasonable person."

"I see, and I am." Diabella contemplated for a moment "So with your new family bonds discovered, what do you intend to do with this information."

Ludwig could not hide his surprise, eyes wide as he queried "I… I don't know… I don't even know where to start."

"Well, I know your mother pretty well but I wouldn't know where to start with telling you about her. Maybe work out some questions first then I'll tell you whatever you want."

"I see, well, um… thankyou?" Ludwig was extremely baffled, this was much easier than expected. He scratched the back of his head "I… uh… look, I'll get going. My break is almost over." Looking up to Diabella he added "By the way, Lucia sends her regards."

A glimpse of astonishment flickered in her gaze before Diabella coolly nodded back and resumed drinking. "So that's how you got out. I had a feeling Lucia helped you escape Queen Jaydes but you know, didn't want to overwhelm you."

"Yes, thankyou for your consideration… where is Gallileo and Magnifico anyway? I was hoping to discuss the logistics of future raids with them later."

"They went to the Twisted Manors for some reason. Left this afternoon and they're not staying over." Diabella casually shrugged "They should be back soon though."

Ludwig courteously bowed before returning to his table. He noticed Iggy still obsessing over the photos and the tome while Lemmy had disappeared. He figured he had gotten distracted and wandered off.


	10. Gallileo's Garden

The detour past Evershade Valley made Luigi feel a little easier about the task at hand. With the Poltergust 3000 on his back and the Strobulb and Dark-Light fully functioning, it felt like maybe this could work. had even allowed him to borrow a prototype, a handheld paranormal radar to detect ghostly abnormalities. Now he had been fully equipped and was familiar with the devices, he reluctantly took the lead as they ventured through the dark forests beneath the ominous moonlight. The details of where to find this shard had taken him and Mario to the more abandoned parts of the Twisted Manors. He doubted even the Boos came out this far. Although he was curious as to why the ruins in this area looked so similar to the ones found in the Thwomp Ruins. He guessed they were perhaps of the same civilisation that perished mysteriously.

A ruined doorway etched with runes beckoned them to enter and descend beneath the earth. He looked to his brother who encouragingly nodded back. They descended the ancient stairs, the enchanted badges Shalazia gifted them appeared to glow gently in the darkness. Mario kept an eye on the musty surroundings, even though he doubted anyone came out here anymore. Luigi remained focused on the radar, still dreading the thought of running into anything spectral out here. His heart quickened, his knees shook, two blips appeared on the radar. Not just small ones either, they were huge, whatever was lurking down here was as dangerous as a possessor.

Luigi tried to get his mind off his crippling fears by focusing on the tunnel they were in. To his surprise he could feel leaves rustling around him. The faint light of the badge revealed layers of ivy and flowers he had never seen before. It was an underground forest, no a garden, lining the cold, dark earth. The plants looked well cared for, careful trimming kept them from engulfing the path. The gentle light shimmered across the walls when Luigi noticed the amount of insects peacefully living among the foliage; helping tend to the hidden garden. "Hey bro, look at all this, it's amazing… Daisy would love it here."

Mario answered "I didn't realise plants could grow in darkness…"

"To be honest I've never seen plants like this before. Look at the shapes of the leaves, they're like stars and the petals are like miniature suns…"

"It must've taken centuries for the flowers to grow so well. But it doesn't really tell us, who has been taking care of them."

"Whoever they are, they must know a lot about botany."

Mario came out to a grand hall and ducked behind a wall. Ghostly fungus illuminated the area revealing strange primal murals smeared across the walls. The floor was cracked making way for tree roots and mushrooms to flourish in the mouldy hidden room. Like the tunnel, all the plants were vibrant and mysterious taking on shapes and colours they had never seen before. The illustrations among the plants disturbed him, they depicted clans of humans dressed in dark menacing robes. The men appeared to revere a god like figure that resembled the Dark Star while the women followed the Shadow Queen. He did not understand what this chamber was for, but he knew whoever used it was beyond mercy and compassion.

By the time Luigi caught up, he saw his brother's solemn look and then the murals. He whistled and rocked on his heels "So… looks like I was right about that queen and the star. They've been around for a while and didn't just pop up randomly."

Mario could hardly believe it, he walked to the centre of the chamber to get a better look "How could anyone worship those monsters? You saw what they were capable of."

"Well, just the Dark Star… and Fawful summoning the Dark Star."

"The Shadow Queen was worse, she just took Peach like a toy, made her into…" Mario choked on the memory, to this day that whole incident with the Thousand Year Door made him uneasy.

Luigi tried to remain logical to help him rationalise his feelings "Well those Shadow Sirens and X-Nauts had to come from somewhere. Maybe it was here? But it looks pretty ancient, like a completely different timeline."

They both paused at the sight of the two giant statues that guarded either side of the ominous doorway. One was wreathed in horned armour, wielding a great sword while the other was a mage with a tome shackled to his wrist. The warrior appeared to have a crest resembling the Shadow Queen upon their cuirass while the mage had the Dark Star upon his robes.

"Or maybe," Luigi snapped his fingers "Maybe, those guys didn't know about this stuff and were just trying _anything_ to get the Shadow Queen's attention."

"Maybe you're right, Weegee." Mario pointed to a part of the mural where minions of the Shadow Queen were being turned into silhouettes "Maybe those Shadow Sirens were just… failed followers."

The murmured sounds of women conversing echoed in the halls nearby. Not wanting to be discovered, Mario and Luigi his behind a nearby set of crumbling ruins. They waited with bated breath to catch of glimpse of who or what would dare come to this nightmarish lair. Luigi's hands tightened around the grip of the poltergust as he wriggled his back to settle the bulk of its weight evenly on his back. Mario nodded to him calmly, he then peered around the corner of a ruined altar to see a strange Boo with a backpack and a stylishly dressed Magikoopa.

Luigi nudged Mario, whispering "Bro, look at that crest on the Boo's backpack."

Mario was flummoxed for a moment, the same diamond shaped crest of Shalazia's gown was also on the Boo's bag. Although rather than a sapphire, this one had an emerald set within the gold flourishes.

Gallileo swooped down, plucking a black and rotting flower that was growing from the cracks. She shoved it into her pack with a grin "Alright, that should be enough for the conjuring." Loud cackling heralded her dramatic reading of the plaques on one of the statues "Agaricus, the mad mage who pioneered magic stemming from the Dark Star… until the Mushroom Kingdom cut his head off… not that it stopped him. His severed head came back after all." She cackled while pretending to pick the mage's nose. "King Boo was one ugly human… maybe because he didn't seem to bathe or eat… look at how gaunt and insane he looked. Not that he always looked so unkempt. He lost it after he was betrayed by Lentinellus."

"Keep quiet! I know you're enthusiastic about ancient history but keep your voice down." Magnifico chided with a hiss "You don't want to wake that flower."

"That big ol baby sleeps like a log." Gallileo swooped in the air a little, absentmindedly looking around the chamber. "Relax, my garden is always welcoming."

"You think it's true about this place? Like this was some kind of judgment chamber in the days of old?"

"It most certainly was when I was alive."

"Wait, you remember your life before you were a Boo? But I thought you had to sacrifice your memories for that."

"I did, but… I was always drawn to this place so I started tending to the plants here… it was my sanctuary. That big flower in the lower chambers was my only friend then... kinda sad really." Gallileo pointed to the statue of horned warrior "But I always felt a sense of déjà vu when I saw that statue… it was comforting but I didn't know why… eventually, Diabella and Fandango found me… they reminded me of who I was. Keep in mind this took a few centuries to sink in."

"How old are you guys anyway?"

"What do you think?"

Magnifico sighed, defeated "I can't tell, I wouldn't even know what to look for to indicate such a thing. Even so, all three of you reek of old magic, not that I can tap into it at all. It's far beyond my comprehension."

"Then why not ask Diabella or Fandango to explain it?"

"He's not very good at explaining things… She on the other hand is a little wary of that, well, you know, since the whole 'continue' spell went wrong with Figaro."

"That's what you get for running off after you only hear half the reagents. The power of the glitch is not for the faint of heart. You're effectively breaking the game and reprogramming it to do what you want." Gallileo playfully poked her nose. "Besides, we got over it. Diabella was just worried for your safety because she understands how dangerous magic is."

Magnifico let out a sigh "I know, but it's still my fault he came back without a voice."

"You were scared for him, it's understandable. Besides, he doesn't seem bothered by it."

Luigi noticed abnormal readings on the radar, the Boo would easily show up, more shocking was the Magikoopa. According to the machine, she was a ghostly entity and a very powerful one at that. He tapped Mario on the shoulder with a shaky hand to show him this discovery. For a moment Mario's brow furrowed before he resumed his usual confident face. An idea was in mind as he gestured Luigi to sneak around the other ruins in the chamber.

Gallileo and Magnifico were caught off guard when Mario leapt over the ruins to then lunge at them. A magic barrier deflected him with ease as Magnifico retaliated with a single flick of her wrist. She only felt a strange heat on the back of her neck before hearing Gallileo cry out. Turning wildly while deflecting Mario's attack once more, conjuring a wall of flames to keep him away, she saw Gallileo vanish into a vacuum cleaner. She growled back "What kind of weirdo puts a Boo in a vacuum cleaner!? You sir, are sick in the head!"

Mario gestured to Luigi to hold his position, he then looked to Magnifico "We don't need to fight, let's just talk."

"Bit late for that, you started out pretty aggressively." Magnifico adjusted her glasses noticing the sapphire badges on their overalls "You know once she gets her claws into you, it's too late… and there's nowhere to go but forward until someone thwarts her schemes."

Mario faltered for a second to say "Of course you'd know Shalazia, you're her sworn enemies! One of those Steam Punks!"

"Magnifico," she bluntly corrected "And that Boo is my friend, Gallileo. Can you let her out please? I have no desire to fight either of you."

He wildly flailed his arms before screeching "What, no!? What do you mean… ah… look, Shalazia is just trying to be free of the Lightning Queen! She's wants her kingdom to prosper! Not live in fear!"

"You're not the first to be bewitched by her. You know that, right? I seen a few enchanted by her in my time, but Diabella, Fandango and Gallileo have a way of sorting your kind out." Magnifico shot another fireball that missed Mario and Luigi. She then disappeared down the corridor between the two giant statues.

Mario rested a hand on his head as he momentarily closed his eyes "It's so much easier dealing with Bowser. What is wrong with these people?"

"I think it would be better to ask, what are these people?" Luigi pointed to the radar "That Magnifico has negative lives, she can't get a game over! She's effectively a glitch in the game!"

"You reckon they're all like that?" Mario let out a sigh "Mama mia, how are we going to solve this problem? Even when Shalazia gets the Prism Star she'll never be free of them." He then turned to the doorway in question "Come on, let's catch her and see if she can give us more answers."

As they ran through the inky darkness, Luigi thought it was odd. She was clearly putting on a show by flinging fireballs without a care. However they always seemed to just miss them as she herded them through the ancient catacombs. More disturbing murals of the Shadow Queen and the Dark Star appeared before his eyes in the afterglow of the fire magic, only to be swallowed into the abyss of the underground once the light faded. Hesitantly he followed after Mario. He knew this would lead them into a trap, yet his brother appeared adamant about finding Magnifico.

Luigi tapped Mario on the shoulder, trying to get his attention as he pleaded "Bro, maybe you should calm down. I know this place is creepy, but we can't lose our heads over this."

"Weegee, you know we have to break this place, right?" Mario solemnly informed "We… we have to."

Luigi fell silent, he saw the fear in Mario's eyes as another fireball passed by, briefly illuminating their faces. As the light faded again, he nodded to himself and mustered whatever courage he had left "Ok bro, we'll find a support pillar and bring this place to the ground once we find the shard and deal with... uh, these weirdos."

"Thanks." Mario fell silent as the tunnels and hallways filtered out into a giant chamber. The rocks and architecture had parted and made way for nature to takes its course. More strange glowing mushrooms practically oozed from any exposed patch of soil or roots that snaked between earth and stone. A sickeningly sweet aroma hung in the air with a faint tinge of rotting meat. While Magnifico was nowhere to be seen, they were not alone in that chamber.

The whisper of a snore made dread perch heavily on their shoulders. Most of the chamber and the source of the roots appeared to stem from a single source. A nest of the strange looking piranha plants snoozed in a glistening heap. Dew drops speckled the long twisting vines and roots that coiled around the chamber. The laminae had minds of their own and were never truly resting as they explored the surfaces of the chamber with ease. It was almost touching Luigi's foot as he jumped up on one leg in terror, biting his tongue so he wouldn't scream.

The flowers themselves did not look smooth or appeared to even open horizontally like piranha plants usually did. While they slept, the laminae were busy hunting for anything that took its attention. The brothers froze with terror as one grabbed a giant spider that crept along the ceiling. Easily large enough to swallow a Toad, the arachnid looked like a toy doll in comparison to the smothering leaves. Exoskeleton cracked, releasing the spider's innards as the laminae constricted and pulled its writhing corpse back to a waiting mouth.

Sleepily one of the flowers opened vertically, no true teeth, only jagged leaf like blades with the remains of former prey amidst the plant based fangs. The inside of the plant was red filtering out to an orange than yellow around the edges. The flower closed around the spider with sickening crunch. It was a mystery as to where the spider's remains vanished to as it swallowed.

Not wanting to awaken the plant monster time forgot, Mario and Luigi both decided to edge back through the doorway they came through. Something then wildly struck Luigi, ripping the Poltergust from his back while he shoved forward. Luigi hit the ground hard, right on one of the plant's laminae. While he was dazed, it wasted no time in coiling around him.

"Have fun with the corpse flower!" Magnifico taunted as she vanished down the hallway, dragging the Poltergust with her. "I hope Gallileo will forgive me…"

Mario was about to follow when he heard Luigi scream. The plant groaned, flowers snapping like piranhas as it finally stopped snoring. The laminae were swinging in the air with abandon and Luigi helplessly flailing about to the monster's whims. There were no power ups in that chamber, Mario had no other choice than to think of something to fight back with. He doubted jumping on the plant would help, those flowers would snap him in half in an instant. Suddenly the plant screeched and rattled, a vine wildly lashing away from Luigi with fear. Mario then realised it had touched Shalazia's badge.

"It's weak to ice!" Mario cheered happily to himself. Then realised he had no idea where to target. Most monsters he faced had some tell of weakness on their bodies. The corpse flower had so many heads and writhing limbs that it was near impossible to decipher where a weak spot would arise. With skill he nimbly dodged and rolled from side to side to avoid the encroaching and frantic thorned vines. They had begun to lash out like wild whips, desperate to get rid of the cold. All the while, Luigi had only become more entangled in its grasp.

The stone walls of the chamber were becoming more scarred by the second. Blind lashes were tearing the room apart. Mario feared the roof would collapse on them all if this continued. He needed to calm this creature and quickly. Amidst the flailing, when he ducked to avoid a sweeping strike, he realised the roots of the plant were exposed with every over exaggerated movement. A small gap emerged between the many snapping plant heads and the loose soil when it moved.

Mario exploited this obvious opportunity, no matter how suicidal it appeared to any onlooker. Never before had he had to move this swiftly to evade a creature that clearly had too many arms. Despite its bizarre appearance, the corpse flower appeared to be quite stupid. Only concerned with feeding its face rather than noticing its surroundings, it would have seen the encroaching threat as Mario dived towards the main roots. He pulled the sapphire badge away from him and readied to stab it into the flower.

Luigi kept struggling even as the monster lowered him slowly towards its voracious flowers. The plant then shivered erratically. As Luigi was suspended overhead, he watched in horrified amazement. Crystals were growing all over the plant like a creeping mould. Slowly the vines stopped moving and froze in their places. The glistening dew upon the flowers solidified into near perfect gems. The plant rattled weakly one last time as the ice consumed the leaves and plant to replace it with dead, clear, nothingness. A monstrous frozen statue was now the heart of the chamber.

Mario stepped back and looked at the badge now firmly stabbed into one of the main roots. It had certainly worked better than he expected, now embedded in the plant and covered with the same sheet of sleet. The silence was shattered by Luigi finally breaking free from the now brittle vine. He crashed into the mass of frozen flower heads sending flourishes of glittering ice into the air.

"Weegee!" Mario yelled as he attempted to scale the slippery plant, proving a near impossible challenge now it was frozen solid.

"Look what I found!" Luigi cheered, emerging from the frozen rubble and slid down the leaves to Mario. A diamond point was in his hand "It was stuck in the middle of the flower."

Mario helped his brother to his feet with a triumphant grin "Alright, one piece down, two to go!"

"That was pretty lucky though, I mean, you lost that badge in there."

"Don't worry, what matters is that we're both still alive."

"You seem better, what happened to the 'destroy this place' attitude?"

"It's still there, but I don't know how and we don't have the time to spare. Shalazia needs to reform the Prism Star sooner rather than later. Especially if her enemies have negative lives."

Luigi nodded back and followed after Mario. For now the ancient sanctum would remain their secret. Yet they knew they would return to destroy it, once they formulated a safe way to do so. When they came out to the main hall with the murals and statues, they saw the smashed remains of the poltergust. Magnifico and Gallileo were long gone by then. They solemnly left the forgotten forest, lost beneath the earth. Luigi felt a tinge of guilt as they did. He got the feeling that even though it was used in ancient times for dark magic, that Boo had transformed it into an everlasting oasis. Effectively, he and Mario had destroyed it in one night.


	11. Crash and Burn

The airship cabin was a far cry from their quarters back at Bowser's Castle. It was difficult for the four of them to actually share such a cramped room. So far they had not gotten their holiday at the Electrodrome, mainly due to Bowser Jr's demands. However it was pretty easy to escape the annoying prince's demands by hiding out in here. The metal walls only had a porthole window to look down on the world bellow. The beds were dishevelled and upturned from an earlier argument. Wendy reclined on the only bed still in one piece, flicking through a gossip magazine from Sarasaland. She kept an eye on the others who were seated around a makeshift table, a set of playing cards held their attention.

Roy lashed out, punching the side of Larry's head "How many times do I need to tell you!? You can't cheat at poker until you know the rules inside and out! This isn't like go-karting or tennis."

Larry flicked a few cards he had stuffed beneath his cuff out onto the table "I know it involves bluffing… a lot."

Morton sighed, placing his cards on the table in defeat "I still don't get this game, where'd my Gameboy go?"

"These are horrible cards anyway!" Roy scoffed at the offending pieces of hardened plastic, he shook his head at Larry "Fine, I guess I'll have to teach you."

A brightness appeared on his face "And then you'll show me how to cheat?"

"If you're good." He grabbed one of cookies that they were using as betting chips "Maybe then we can play with actual coins."

"I'm going stir crazy in here, how long until we get to where we need to be?" Morton restlessly paced the room until he paused at the porthole window.

"Well, maybe if Jr didn't insist on being the captain, navigator and quartermaster of this airship, we'd be there by now." Wendy shook her head as she snorted, flicking a page absentmindedly "We should've just walked. Would've been quicker than this."

"Uh… guys…" Morton turned back to them looking terrified "I think we need to get to the deck because there's a big blue thingy headed right at us!"

The sudden sound of twisting metal and splintering wood shattered their temporary peace. The airship shivered beneath the power of the beam of azure light that heralded the force of the North Wind. Roy grabbed Wendy, keeping her close as the wreckage teetered in the air and slowly fell to earth. Morton had also taken hold of Larry, the smaller Koopaling was shivering from the flash freeze crawling across the walls like creeping vines. Above the Arcane Kingdom the airship fell to pieces like confetti. The frozen remains sparkled in the night as it crashed onto the land bellow.

Everything hurt when Roy opened his eyes again, adjusting his sunglasses to see there was a crack in one of the lens. He forced himself to stand and take stock of what had happened. The airship was a frozen wreck, smeared across miles of grassland. There appeared to be no signs of anyone else surviving so far. Until he caught a glimpse of intruders carrying Morton, Larry and Bowser Jr off. At least he knew they were still alive. They were smaller copies of the frozen knight that appeared in the Mushroom Kingdom. Realising he was greatly outnumbered and in no condition to fight, he looked for a means to survive.

The knight lumbered closer with frosted steps; crystallising the moisture in the earth as they walked. Roy could see two blurred figures heading right towards them, one was airborne, the other was hovering on the ground.

"Roy… what happened?"

He looked over his shoulder to see Wendy shoving metal sheeting off her. He quickly helped her upright although he could see she was shaky on her feet. Sensing a plan he said "Curl up in your shell, I got this."

The grim situation dawned on Wendy as she solemnly nodded and followed his instructions. He then kicked her shell with all his might. It tore past the knights and collided with the lower blurred figure; a mechanical scream howled in the night as the figure swerved wildly into a nearby gloomy and miserable mire. Fortunately the knights seemed to avoid that festering swamp. Unfortunately they had now taken all survivors of the airship crash prisoner. If anything, Roy was thankful that everyone had survived, even the minions.

* * *

The ancient weapon fell silent as Shalazia stopped channelling her magic. The giant ballista occupied her castle's observatory in place of a telescope; it was crafted from various crystals and golden frames engraved with archaic runes. It spoke to a bygone age where people could craft all manner of artefacts to channel magic to a desired cause. For Shalazia, she had found that this was the only way to effectively wield a type of magic she had stolen from one of her fallen sisters long ago. Even at that moment her arm felt numb from the sensation of casting the wrath of a storm.

Her palace was devoid of life as she swaggered down the stairs to the lower halls. Out of habit, Shalazia began to monologue, living in complete isolation and maintaining the memory of her former life had taken its toll on her mind.

"How did Astrapi do that so easily? Is it because she befriended the Lord of Lightning? Surely not, she could sling lightning since she was a child… uh, I hate her so much! Out of all of them, she still has her mostly human form, how dare she!? Why can't she be turned into an unrecognisable monster like Gaia and Floga!? This is just too much of an insult! And to think she's now the Herald of the Shadow Queen while I'm striving to create more water of life so my beautiful Lentinellus can be immortal like me." She sighed at the thought of her beloved king from the Mushroom Kingdom "Not long my love, I will gift with you powers far beyond Stellara's prowess."

Everything was going according to plan. Shalazia reached one of her many parlours to recline on her lounge. She conjured refreshment with a wave of her hand to sip at a wine in a sapphire goblet. The windows were open, silk curtains billowing in the cool night air as it echoed through the vast, empty halls. The room was framed and lined with jewel encrusted pots that bore the most beautiful flowers that glowed with celestial light. The serenity of a dead kingdom was delightful to her. The golems, the spectral images and conjured arcane beings were fine company. All who dwelled within the Arcane Kingdom had their games ended long ago, they just hadn't realised it yet. Shalazia's magic kept them entranced into believing the illusion that they were still playing. The princesses and their moustached heroes were the only living souls to visit in a very long time.

Nevertheless she had kept an eye on Mario and Luigi's progress and was pleased by them claiming back a stolen piece of the Prism Star. Even though Mario lost her badge, fate smiled on her and made sure he had claimed one from Luigi. He seemed to be the harder of the two to break so she was greatly pleased by this development. Another wave of her wand would tighten her icy grip on his mind just a little more. She reached to the side table to grasp at the enchanting tool in question only to find it missing. Shalazia rose from her seat and began looking around the chamber. She knelt down to gaze into the floor of water she had conjured; maybe it had sank to the bottom of the castle, again.

She felt a ripple of magic in the aura of her domain; swirling her hand upon the watery floor conjured two intruders. They appeared to be twisted version of the Mario brothers; they had crawled from the beach and disappeared into the aqueducts of her kingdom. Presently they were manoeuvring through the labyrinth of halls in her castle. Shalazia felt little concern for now; they didn't appear to be aligned with anyone. She'd toy with them when the time called for it. At the moment she was satisfied with breaking them passively by twisting the doors and halls of her castle as she desired. Hopefully these would be intruders would be driven insane.

* * *

They kept screaming while the hovercraft wildly span and careened through the darkness. The murky waters were an ominous welcome to the foreboding land ahead. Every part of its nature looked like it wanted to kill you horribly. Finally erupting in a jarring halt as they smashed into something solid; Scaramouch was sent flying along with her sudden passenger. She landed face first in the familiar mud of the Malevolent Mires. "That was a close one." She murmured as she stood up again, wiping the dirt from her face with the back of her hand. "Aw, jeez, that's gonna take aaaages to fix."

The remains of beloved hovercraft, her favourite mode of transport in this part of the world were now wrapped around an ancient mangrove. It was miraculous they were actually thrown from the vehicle instead of ending up as twisted as the machinery was. Disorientated and sore, Scaramouch clambered through the wreckage as best she could to activate the distress beacon. It would only be a short wait until Diabella came along; she was supervising the test drive out in the wetlands.

"Wow! Nice crash!" Iggy cheered as he appeared from the unknowing darkness.

Scaramouch screamed at first followed by a frantic bout of running around and waving her arms, then she finally calmed down. "What're you doing here!?"

"Adding to my observations." Iggy showed her the page of his notebook which was now covered in notes and frantic sketches of flora and fauna found in the mires. "Oh! Look, there's someone over here too!" He bounded over to a mud covered figure rising from the water. "Hey Wendy!"

Wendy ripped off her bow to wring it out "How can you be so happy!? What are you even doing here!? We've been worried sick you know!"

Scaramouch smiled broadly "Oh… so that's what crashed into my hovercraft. I thought it was just a technical fault."

Iggy's head titled "You mean that's happened before?"

"Why do you think I have an emergency beacon on the dashboard?"

Wendy exclaimed "No! Wait! Everyone shut up! I'm still reeling from falling out of the sky!"

Iggy stated confidently "Take a deep breath and begin at the beginning!"

"Right, the rest of the Koopalings, Bowser Jr and I were flying to the Arcane Kingdom to locate Ludwig's whereabouts… then there was this light… then falling… then these ice knights were capturing everyone…"

Scaramouch added "That's Shalazia's death laser, she hates people in her airspace… actually she hates a lot of things… I don't know how someone can be that miserable."

Wendy blinked "Who's Shalazia?"

"I'll explain everyone we've found out so far upon our return to Rhapsody. Lemmy and Ludwig are there too so we can regroup." Iggy tried to reassure her "It'll be alright Wendy, we'll sort it."

"Regardless, we need to plan a raid on this Shalazia's house." Wendy answered, she felt gross from landing in the mires. All manner of sludge and mud were caked onto her scales. She was relieved to at least see Iggy again and know that the others were safe too.

"A raid!? I love those! Good thing Lemmy and Ludwig are here too, they can help us plan!" Iggy cackled happily "This is going to be so much fun!"

The canopy then swished and swirled as Diabella flew into sight upon the back Belzebub. She leapt down with ease, announcing "Hey kids, have fun crashing?" As she headed to the mangled hovercraft. "Wow, impressive."

"You reckon you can get it out?" Scaramouch then pointed to Wendy "It wasn't my fault this time either, she made me crash."

"Doesn't matter, I can sort this. I'm just glad you're all safe." Diabella unbuttoned her overcoat a little to fish out an iron chain. Two trinkets dangled from it, one was a leather pouch the other was a diamond shaped crest with a square amethyst set in a gold frame.

Iggy made the observation "That looks a lot like that thing Gallileo has on her backpack and what Fandango has on the back of his jacket, except hers is an emerald and he has a ruby."

"Well we've been around for a long time, just a memento of who we used to be a long, long time ago." Diabella opened the pouch to retrieve a tuning fork.

Wendy kept a keen eye on the mysterious human; Diabella wandered to the edge of the nearby lake and stepped up partially on a large rock. She rolled up her striped legging to reveal her leg was not flesh at all; it was a metal prosthetic. Diabella then knocked the tuning fork against her knuckles, placing the base of the fork on her metal leg to summon a soothing hum.

Iggy asked as he did whenever curiosity struck him "What happened to your leg?"

Diabella replied instantaneously "It got bit off by a three headed chain chomp."

"Oh man, you're a real riot sometimes."

The hum had called forth the denizens of the mire; the water centipedes that had taken Iggy's curiosity during his surveillance. The novelty of being able to run along their armoured bodies to travel upstream easily was quite fun. The massive insects skittered on mass from beneath the water, swishing their antennae and twitching their mandibles and many legs.

"Thankyou for helping ladies, can you make sure they get back safely to Rhapsody?" Diabella said, what was even crazier was that the centipedes were listening. They began to manoeuvre around the tree, dislodging the ruined hovercraft and resting it across their many bodies as they retreated to the water. "Also remember to get your larvae and eggs in order, I'll be doing a paediatric check up in a month!" She turned to the stranded trio "Well, climb aboard. I'll see you back in town."

Wendy was sceptical but she didn't really have the luxury of choice at the moment. She followed Scaramouch and Iggy onto the back of one of the giant centipedes. There was a moment of stillness as it clicked it mandibles a bit then a sudden rush. Wendy had no idea where this beast was going while trees blurred past. Iggy appeared to be laughing and enjoying the ride; however his sanity was never a guaranteed quality.


	12. You're not alone

Within the hour Diabella had returned safely to her laboratory. It would be a while before the centipedes would bring the others and the hovercraft wreck. Her timing appeared impeccable as the door of a catacomb tunnel burst open with a loud crash. Magnifico rushed in, her hair was a wild mess as she panted uneasily.

Diabella's tone became almost menacing "Ah good, I've been meaning to talk to you." The air went so tense in the laboratory that you could physically cut it with a scalpel. Diabella looked down upon Magnifico, a silent disgust lingered in her face. She said in a cold, steady voice "What were you doing in the Shadow Court? You know what happened when Beldam, Marilyn and Vivian, went there."

"I know, but I wasn't there to beg the Shadow Queen for her blessing. I was helping Gallileo with her garden. Besides those three were fools." Magnifico averted her deathly gaze, shyly looking to the side of the room and regretting her decision to return here without thinking about what to say first. "Just getting some nightshade, toxic-shroom, gloomroot and skull beetles… we didn't expect to see those moustachioed idiots from the Mushroom Kingdom there."

"Mario and Luigi," Diabella noticed Magnifico's surprise "I've been doing my own research about them. So, they're definitely working for Shalazia now?" She tapped her fingers along her jaw "What is she playing at? Surely, she doesn't have a Star Spirit to complete the reforming of the Prism Star. Even then, it's a failed endeavour. It'll never be whole again because I'll always have one of the pieces..."

"You do realise Mario and Luigi are star children, so is King Bowser, apparently. Born with the blessings of the stars and all that rot."

Diabella's eyes widened, her cool demeanour shattered as she grabbed Magnifico by the scruff of her collar and lifted her up. She snarled back, glaring at her "So she's found a loophole to the ritual!? She could rebuild the star without all the pieces! How many of these star children are there!?"

"If the legends are to be believed, seven."

"She only needs five for the sacrifice." Diabella called out "Fandango!"

The Shy Guy appeared from another chamber, it was beyond anyone's knowledge as to what he got up to when no one was looking. He nodded to Diabella and said "I heard everything!"

"Go to Shy Guy Falls and end the game for Mario and Luigi. They cannot have the shard hidden there and I will not let Shalazia keep them. So long as they live, she has a chance at finishing what she started. Take Figaro with you too, you may need help with this."

"I doubt it, if they're headed to my firepit, I got this."

"Don't be so arrogant. Take him with you, we don't know what Shalazia has done to them yet." Diabella told him "Regardless of how, we need to render Shalazia's efforts useless. The quickest way would be to just kill these star children outright, at least three of them."

Magnifico folded her arms over her chest and frowned "That's your brilliant plan? Save them by killing them?"

"In my experience the lack of a short term plan is an asset. Besides, everyone has their game ended eventually. There's much more going on in the coding of this game thanks to the existence of Queen Jaydes and the Shadow Queen."

"I hate it when you get like this. Stop it." Magnifico rolled her eyes letting out an agitated snarl "We're not in the dark ages anymore, Diabella, you don't have to murder everyone like you used to. Why don't we just talk to them?"

"Gallileo tried that a few times, every time it ended horribly and I still had to decapitate the fools. Why waste time?" Diabella looked back at Fandango who was patiently awaiting further instructions "Get going already! You know the falls are where they'll go next!"

Fandango bowed again, clicking his heels together in a jig before running off down another corridor into the dark, mysterious catacombs.

Magnifico stood her ground, defiantly snapping back "What is with you and Shalazia!?"

"Shalazia is an unrelated mistake that won't go away, you know that."

"No, I don't! You never explained what the deal with her is! And I know Fandango and Gallileo know what's going on too! I don't understand why she hates you so much. I can get over the fact you don't want to talk about who you were but right now, this is getting ridiculous."

"You don't know my youngest sister, she's a deceitful, lovesick monster enthralled by her own greed and envy. She will never listen to reason, we've tried to talk sense into her over the centuries but no! She refuses to move forward, she's stuck in the past pining for King Lentinellus." Diabella screeched as she stamped her foot "Fandango and I know that she will never recover despite our efforts over the year, Gallileo still has hope…"

"So… you're saying that all four of you are related? But how!? You two are human, he's a Shy Guy and she's a Boo!?"

"I'm the eldest of the family, Shalazia was the one who broke us into glitches and caused Fandango and Gallileo to respawn in the wrong forms."

"How could anyone be that powerful!? To actually rewrite the code of a character?"

"Well, Gallileo was the one who originally made the Prism Star that Shalazia covets, we come from a time when magic was a lot more… enabled by the game and not hindered by the stars." Diabella sighed as she warned "You don't understand how evil and powerful Shalazia has become since meeting King Lentinellus."

"But that was the Mushroom Kingdom leader during the Era of Ire."

"It's all connected my dear, I fear Shalazia is planning a final move to end what she started when she destroyed our kingdom and our family." Diabella could see the shock on Magnifico's face "But, if you really think you can talk this Mario and Luigi out of helping Shalazia, then you're welcome to try." Diabella sighed with defeat at Magnifico who was defiantly glaring back. She then abruptly recalled the ingredients that were listed. Her anger cooling "Wait a minute, who's hosting a séance?"

"Ludwig… he wanted to meet his dad." Magnifico looked up to see Diabella was already sprinting down another corridor.

"Don't be mad at her," Gallileo manifested from the ether "Sadly Diabella has probably lost the most because of Shalazia… she's also a warrior at heart, her first instinct is to fight."

Magnifico trembled "Did you… did you really make the Prism Star?"

"Yes, I thought it would be useful, a conduit to speak to supernatural entities… sadly, it didn't go to plan once Lentinellus got involved." She smiled "Come on, let's try to talk some sense into Mario and Luigi. They look like they're descended from Sir Romulus himself; surely they carry his courage and honour."

"I don't know about that, but we have to try. We can't just give up on them."

"I know, which is why I can't give up on any of my sisters."

Magnifico nodded back as they departed the laboratory through the main door. They had to be quick if they were to catch up with Figaro and Fandango.

* * *

The inner sanctum of the catacombs was rarely visited by anyone other than the bugs that called the mires their home. An altar was buried among the primordial ooze that muddied the waters into a sludge so thick it was like walking on firm jelly. The ornate details of the chamber were eroded by time and ravaged by the thick, green lichen that crept from the sludge. Ludwig had followed Gallileo's instructions, stepping on certain ruins to progress to the altar. He could feel something ominous lurking beneath the water. As he drew out the chart upon the stone and mixed the reagents, the sparks from the reactions of the ingredients combining allowed him to catch glimpses of the slumbering behemoth that dwelled here. Apparently, this was the home to the queen of the hive, Silhouetta. A name Ludwig had only known from Diabella's notes.

Realising the danger of lingering here, he quickly crushed the various plants and insects into a paste with a mortar and pestle. The conjuring circle was already drawn out on the smooth stone before him. All he had to do was mix the paste, smear part of it on the corresponding archaic symbols and consume the rest. Given the acrid stench of rotting plants in the air, he was almost at the brink of gagging. Yet he fought his nausea down when it came time to swallow the bitter, bit filled sludge. A bug leg was twitching in his mouth. His hand went to his lips to keep himself from vomiting. When he finally forced it down, it fell as a solid lump into his stomach. "Did she lie to me?" Ludwig's eyebrows knotted as he scowled at the inactive chart "Was this one of her pranks!?"

The chart then pulsed with an ancient magic, the plants and nearby dirt wavered and leapt back in fright. Ludwig remained still as slowly, a ghastly glow began to trickle through the chart, starting with the symbols smeared with the vile concoction. When the symbols were all united by the ethereal light it flashed brightly to then rise into the air. The light thickened into a misty fog and took the imposing form of a tall, lean Dragon Koopa. Already a wild mane of hair was visible along with the impressive horns that twisted and curved upwards to almost be as high as the tips of his mane. Finally the fog settled into a spirit that mimicked the late, Lord Amadeus Von Koopa.

Bored and confused he glanced around "What is this decrepit place!? This is not a venue worthy of my presence." Amadeus looked down upon the strange young Koopa.

Ludwig was gazing upwards, lost for words. He wanted to meet his father but now they were face to face. He had no words to say.

"Ugh, what a repulsive little monster you are…" Amadeus made a face like he was watching someone urinate in public "That hair is so tacky and unkempt, when was the last time you conditioned it? Someone ought to remove… no, rip! That's it! Rip that buck tooth out of your fat mouth, preferably with pliers of some form, so that maybe, you can have an amazing smile like me." He beamed to emphasise his point "No, that's too cruel, you could never be as handsome as me, not even if the stars blessed you with magical beauty, you would still pale in comparison for you would only be a twinkling star while I am a blazing sun." Amadeus then frowned and flared a nostril at Ludwig, he furrowed his brow "Why are you still standing there you nauseating cockroach!? I demand that you find someone much more attractive to explain what's happening right now."

Ludwig lowered his gaze, taking a deep breath as he admitted softly "This was a mistake…"

Amadeus laughed smugly "Please, the only mistake here is that your parents actually conceived you."

Ludwig growled back "Then I guess you're part of that mistake."

"What!?" The dignified gentleman faltered for a second, then smiled cruelly "Then I got the last laugh! That spiteful, horrific, villainous wretch got what she deserved." He cackled insanely, calling to the air "Oh Lucia, your evil ways turned your son into a hideous little blob. Serves that witch right! Her and that ugly invalid with the gap tooth she talked with."

Enraged, Ludwig dragged one of his claws across the chart as Amadeus kept laughing. The ghostly spectre vanished into nothing. He was left to fume in silence, he watched as his clenched fists trembled. Claws bit through his scales to bleed upon the altar. He felt tears roll down his cheeks but no sound escaped his lips. Strangely he felt another's presence behind him, when he turned around he saw Diabella standing behind him. An expression he had not seen before was on her face.

She looked concerned about him, much to his surprise she even knelt down to his level as she anxiously took his hands and noticed the self-inflicted cuts. "What happened? Where is that jerk, Amadeus!? If I see him, ghost or no, I'm going to rip his head off."

"I… uh…" Ludwig pulled his hands away, despondently pulling away from her. He growled a little, feeling smoke rise from his nostrils "Why am I not surprised that you're here!? You're always in everyone's business even though you clearly don't want to be. I've never met such distant and blank person so stop pretending and get lost." He let out a sigh and took a seat by the altar to stare blankly at the still waters.

Diabella furrowed her brow and narrowed her eyes at him to respond in sarcastic rage "When you've lived as long as I have, you get the joy of watching every. Single. Mistake. That you've ever made, no matter how small, play out into some horrible monstrosity that barely resembles the original action that triggered it." She cut Ludwig off before he could sneer back at her "It's hard to keep an interest in people when you know you're going to outlive them. But I still try to at least help when I can." She then laughed, her fury diminishing "Don't look so surprised, you're a smart kid, surely you know I've got negative lives by now. I don't hide it."

He tugged at his hair madly as his anger peaked and then subsided "Yes, I did come to that conclusion… but if you knew about my mother then why-"

"You don't look like you're in the right mind to have a waltz down memory lane if you're hosting a séance."

"I wanted to meet my father," Ludwig weakly laughed under his breath "but it was a waste of time."

"But it probably sounded like a good idea at the time. Don't beat yourself up about it, no plan ever turns out like you expect." Diabella took a kneeling position and fell silent. She remained by his side while he sat near the altar. Silence hung in the air like the chamber was frozen in time. The waters did not waver, the stones ceased to moan at the tug of organic life that writhed over them. For those moments since breaking the ritual, serenity reigned.

Shyly he kept looking over his shoulder as shrewdly as he could. He did not want to seem like he wanted her there. He was surprised that she stayed, always keeping her distance from him as she knelt down in quiet contemplation. Finally he whispered loudly, the word almost catching in his throat as he said "Thankyou…"

He was flabbergasted when she replied just as quietly "Any time. But might I make a suggestion," Diabella looked over her shoulder at him "Why not focus on the family you have for answers?"

Ludwig sighed aloud "If that were the case, my uncle would have spoken about it sooner… he wouldn't have made us feel like abandoned trash."

"You're going to face your uncle sooner rather than later." Diabella stood and offered a hand to him, lifting him to his feet again "Your cousins seem friendly and genuine, don't disregard something like that so easily."

With nothing more to say, they both carefully left the chamber of primordial ooze and retreated upwards to the streets of Rhapsody. For the first time in a while, Ludwig felt a little easier about himself.


	13. Fandango's Firepit

Rhythmic humming among the strikes of metal to stone sang along to the chorus of the flowing falls that draped across this mountain range. When Shy Guys first emerged in the waking world, they took to isolated, dark regions of the world to survive. With time, they learnt about business and now held one of the largest mines in operation, supplying metals and gems to both the Mushroom and Koopa Kingdoms. Shy Guys were always a little unsettling with their robes and masks, yet after encountering Fandango in the Thwomp Ruins, Mario and Luigi could see the necessity of such peculiar fashions.

As they were heroes of the Mushroom Kingdom, they were easily permitted passage through the mines to search for the next shard of Prism Star. Their pursuit led them to an abandoned mine shaft deep within Shy Guy Falls. A large, decayed warning sign over the moaning entrance warned of a lava flood resulting in its closing.

Mario shook his head "Why are the treasures we need never in safe places?" He could feel a pain throbbing in his head; akin to the sensation of brain freeze.

"Can I wait here? I really don't want to go in there." Luigi noticed the trail of metal tracks that emerged from the darkness and coiled over the rocky ground near them. A single cart beckoned them to jump in that made Luigi frown and bury his head in his hands. "Here, you have this." Luigi passed the sapphire broach to him "It's kind of itchy and cold."

"It does have powerful ice magic in it. Not a problem, I'll take it." Mario reassured him as he climbed into the cart, he then secured the broach to his overalls and ignored the pain he was in "At least this way, we can get down there quickly and it'll be kind of fun."

"Where's Donkey Kong when we need him? He loves riding mine carts." Luigi remarked, reluctantly climbing in as Mario released the handbrake, setting the cart trundling down the track and into the mine shaft awaiting them.

They were plunged into darkness as the cart creakily trundled along the rails. Aside from their presence; these tunnels were undisturbed. No bats were squeaking or Shy Guys were singing. It was foreboding as they made their descent into the earth. The cold, uncaring air surrounding them began to feel warmer the further they travelled. The darkness parted to reveal a gentle, amber glow that grew to engulf them. They rail circled around impossibly, forcing Mario and Luigi to shift their weight around to turn safely and remain on the tracks.

The thin, steel rails veered and spiralled around the dangerous spires and twisted corners. Lava bubbled and blistered beneath them. The stench of sulphur assaulted their senses. The stone on the walls were heaving layered with various colours and naturally formed glass; millennia of changes to the earth were on display for all to see. Primordial chain chomps swam in the lava with flee; their bodies were rocky like the earth around them and their teeth were shimmering geodes. Luigi marvelled at the elaborate structures everywhere; someone had built all manner of mine carts and winding walkways to allow easy access to this place. He went to tap Mario on the shoulder so they could marvel at everything yet felt electricity in the air.

Mario had felt it too, although Luigi didn't know how; he immediately grabbed Luigi by the scruff of his shirt and dragged him with him. They free fell towards another cart station while the cart they rode buzzed with a high powered lightning current before plunging into the lava to the hungry chain chomps. A switch flicked as rusty saw blades shot through the air towards them. Yet Mario still dodged them, almost like he knew where every trap was. A rickety platform held their salvation; another cart leading further into the caverns.

The moment they hit the platform, Luigi immediately felt himself shoved into the cart by Mario. His brother climbing in and releasing the brake sending them forward before the platform snapped shut like a bear trap; who was insane enough to put so many traps in an abandoned mine shaft? The end of the murderous ride came in the form of a broken rail yet fortunately there was a stone island just after it. Mario and Luigi used the momentum of the cart to catapult them to safety before it plunged into the rivers of magma.

"Bravo!" Cried an enthusiastic voice, Fandango perched on a nearby spire and raised two signs with numbers painted on them "Ten for the red guy and nine for the green guy."

Luigi's brow furrowed "Why do I only get nine? We landed the same way."

"Yeah, but he's in red, it's more colour coordinated for this area." Fandango then realised "Wait… how did you get this far? It took six months to build all this and I change the sequence every seven months… I genuinely didn't expect this… HOW DID YOU KNOW WHERE THE TRAPS WERE!?"

"She told me." Mario tapped the broach "It seems you've met your match with Shalazia."

"Please, I've got stumps for arms and tentacles for a face under here! Of course we're not evenly matched! Do you know how frustrating it is to have tentacles for a face!? I can't even eat spaghetti like this!" Fandango calmed himself to the matter at hand "And yet you don't question how she got into your head like that?"

Mario carefully eyed up Fandango; he was crouched on a small spike surrounded by swirling lava. He was shocked as the island began to move with Fandango's fixed smile menacingly glaring back. Figaro then leapt down from the heights of the cavern; battle hammer ready to strike them down.

"Stop, stop! You two are NOT helping here!" Magnifico ran along the lava rivers, using her ice powers to conjure a safe path. She skidded in between Figaro, Luigi and Mario while Fandango was left to his own devices in the background. The Shy Guy cackled with laughter as the island kept moving erratically.

Figaro tilted his head, never quite taking his eyes off Mario and Luigi. He opened his mouth yet no sound came out.

"Diabella told me, I decided to follow you both." Magnifico then addressed the Mario brothers "Please, I know we do not have a good track record. But you cannot side with Shalazia, she's evil! **None** of us should be involved in this madness! They have no place in this game, they are beyond time and space." She pleaded, getting down on her knees "Please, I beg of you. Get your princesses back from her and leave the Arcane Kingdom. I'm sure we'll find a solution on our own soon enough. You do not need to be involved."

Luigi was about to speak; wanting to seize a chance to directly question of the Steam Punks without the Lightning Queen or the Arcane Princess present. Mario silenced him as he said "No, you're just lying so we leave Shalazia alone and unprotected."

"Don't you understand!? This is bigger than any of us! We're talking old world, Shadow Queen cultist level mayhem!"

Mario's hands conjured the wrath of winter "That's even more of a reason for me to fight! Shalazia has made me on equal fitting to you freaks."

Fandango snarled "More like she's given you the freaking cheat codes."

Luigi immediately knew something was wrong with that remark; Mario was a hero. He always sought the higher ground. He always wanted to help people not murder them. The badge on his overalls glowed brighter with frosty magic; his eyes radiating the same light.

"Please, can we all just leave this place right now!? Let's find somewhere safer to just talk about the situation, we don't have to fight like this!" Magnifico pleaded further "Mario, Luigi, I know you're heroes of noble heart to the Mushroom Kingdom. You're even descended from a brave and honourable knight so please, all I ask is a moment of your time. There will be a truce so we can speak freely. I have so much to tell you!"

Figaro gestured to something on Mario's chest when Magnifico saw it she looked deflated. Luigi thought for a second he heard someone laugh faintly in the air.

"No… she warned of this… Shalazia did it again…" Magnifico was so caught in her despair that she didn't notice Mario rush towards her.

Luigi's shout fell on deaf ears "Mario! Stop it!"

Figaro stepped between them, with little time to even defend himself. The force of Mario's empowered punch connected. The Hammer Brother was sent flying back from the power of a hurricane; tumbling lifelessly into the lava. Magnifico did nothing but watch helplessly as he disappeared beneath the sea of fire. She looked to Mario standing over her; hands pulsing with the magic of a blizzard. There was something wrong with his eyes, they seemed paler, colder, so unlike the man he was back at the tomb.

"Maggie! Get out of here! I'll handle this!" Fandango roared, tapping the spike quickly as it continued to circle like a shark.

She whimpered "But…"

"It's alright! My traps are armed and ready. I have Monstrosity! It'll be easy come, easy go."

Magnifico dodged Mario's second attack, strafing past him while unleashing her own ice magic. She conjured another frozen path to safely flee the area. Unaware that Luigi was pursuing her; leaving his brother to fight Fandango.

The lava rose and surged as another primordial beast broke through the surface. The Chain Chomp was larger than anything he'd ever seen. If it ever broke free of this place it could level Toad Town in an afternoon. The cracked old iron skin wept lava and flames, as it churned and wavered through the fiery lake like a shark. Ancient spires from old rock gave its body a scaly texture. Fandango sat upon its head, giddily laughing at the small island of stone Mario could stand on.

The power of the arctic was growing; attempting to match the courage of Mario's reputation. A blizzard unlike any other was conjured as lava froze over. Fandango retrieved a controller from within his coat and wildly started button mashing. More saw blades, snapping traps, chain chomps and electrified whips were unleashed in that cavern; complete pandemonium engulfed all. Fandango cheered as Mario was struck by a chain chomp amidst his evasion; sent flying across the chamber towards the lava. That accursed badge saved him as the lava turned to powdered snow to cushion his fall. Whiteness then blinded Fandango unexpectedly as he called to the howling frost "Shalazia! I know you're in here too!"

Her voice hissed in a whisper "I'm closer than you think. How pathetic… referring to all these toys like a child rather than fighting me properly."

"You're one to talk, turning some random plumber hero into your puppet."

"Not just any plumber, a descendant of Romulus himself, Lentinellus' knight, and he's all mine to control!" She mocked in a pitiful tone "Poor, pitiful Floga. Too weak to stand up to his baby sister."

"If I was human again you wouldn't be so smug about it!"

Fandango felt his beloved Chain Chomp buck wildly which sent him flying to the solidified, cold magma. He turned just in time to see Mario strike his beloved pet with the force of an avalanche. The dying cry of his pet echoed in the chamber; Fandango knew when he was beat and retreated down another mine shaft. Another piece of the Prism Star had been lost.

* * *

The spine chilling scream of a Chain Chomp dying made Luigi pause; surely his brother couldn't be so cruel to another creature? He hesitantly kept running through the tunnel, feeling his path slowly ascend from the darkness and to the light of day. The sight of the sun setting over the mountains greeted his sight. The grass covered cliffs were mottled with colourful wildflowers that reminded him of Daisy. Magnifico was currently crying in Gallileo's arms. She noticed Luigi and the screams of carnage echoing from the tunnel "I'm guessing your plan for peace didn't go well… sorry I couldn't come in… when you're a Boo there are all these weird rules in play… the geodes in these mountains disrupt my ectoplasmic ether."

On that same mountain range, they all shared the same dread yet none were willing to go back down that tunnel to investigate the situation. Magnifico was the first to actually speak as she finally forced herself to stop crying "You… you actually came? Thankyou."

He offered nervously "I… I'm sorry about your friend."

"To be honest Figaro was living on borrowed time… he was a glitch so he was mute."

"But he was still your friend and I'm sorry for your loss."

"Thankyou for your sentiment."

Luigi nodded "But something's now wrong with my brother, I want to know why."

Gallileo said "That badge, Shalazia gave it to you, right? Something about a gift to protect you?" She saw Luigi nod back "Yeah, she also puts in a curse when she makes them. The wearer slowly becomes infected by her will and corrupted by her magic. I call this the brain freeze spell, however only the powers of gifted fire user could remove it safely because it literally freezes the victim's brain."

"So I need to get it off him then? I can just get a fire flower and help him."

"Would you want to take your brother on as he is now?"

Luigi let out a despondent sigh as he conceded "You're right, I need to wait for a good moment… keep quiet about it…"

"A fire flower won't help either. You need something hotter like the fire of a Dragon Koopa or the flame of a master pyromancer, both of which are in short supply these days. I don't think we have the time to request help from any Bonneters… maybe a capture by one of them might jostle it free… but the spell might be too engrained in Mario's brain so it may also end his game." Gallileo retrieved a notebook and pen from her bag to calculate "No, he's been exposed to the spell for too long… we need to go with the fire plan."

"This just keeps getting worse, I don't think Bowser would be willing to help… and I don't even know what a Bonneter is… Just who are Shalazia and Diabella? I mean, who are they really and what's going on with them?"

Magnifico assured "I will tell you what I know. Diabella and Shalazia are former rulers from the extinct Arcane Kingdom."

"Extinct? It's like you're saying the Arcane Kingdom is dead?" Luigi nervously laughed to himself, not liking where this was going one bit.

"It is… It fell at the end of the Era of Ire. From what I can tell, Shalazia and the Mushroom Kingdom's monarch, King Lentinellus, were central to its fall but I don't know how."

"But how are these rulers still alive?"

"The Arcane Kingdom was more a giant archive than a Kingdom. It was maintained by four rulers, a Chronicler, an Archmage, an Enchanter and a Huntmaster. Shalazia was the Enchanter. Diabella was the Huntmaster." Gallileo grimly said "They still live because the Arcane Kingdom archived knowledge of all magical studies, even forbidden magic. They're greatly weakened in this day and age, but even then their capabilities defy anyone's expectations of magic."

Luigi cringed, not liking anything he had heard so far "Ghosts AND messed up magic, this is not good at all…" He sat on the ground, gesturing them to continue.

"Here is some information you must know, Shalazia is cursed by her crown which gives her negative lives but binds her to the territory the Arcane Kingdom claimed, she does have some influence of clear, fresh water but that's it. Now she is trying to break that curse, by recreating the Prism Star to create more Water of Life… although, I don't know how that will help anything." Gallileo sighed "She's never been one for details, her blueprints and ideas are always half cocked and messy. Often in need of drafting from one of her lackeys… when her lackeys actually lived."

Magnifico piped up "Now Diabella is the Herald of the Shadow Queen, a title she downplays majorly, which is how she's still alive after all these years and knows so much about forbidden magic. But for some reason, she can't use magic at all." She wearily knelt on the ground before Luigi, adjusting her skirts gracefully "She has been keeping Shalazia in check, I think, by hiding the pieces of the Prism Star in places where Shalazia can't find them. She only had four pieces to begin with, three points and one of the larger gems they all fit into. I think she hid her last point in the Koopa Kingdom because the Dark Lands have minimal water for Shalazia to control."

Luigi was slowly putting the pieces together "So that meant that Shalazia had two points to begin with?" Gallileo and Magnifico nodded "And Diabella wouldn't hide a piece in the Mushroom Kingdom because it's too close to fresh water?" They nodded again, Luigi's eyes widened as he admitted "Daisy was right all along… Why did I tell her not to overthink it!? Shalazia must have planted one of her gems in the Mushroom Kingdom! We've been completely played from the start!"

Magnifico nodded with a sigh "Good, so we're on the same page now."

"Look, can we work together on this?" Luigi begged "Please, I need you both to help me… please, can you convince Diabella to save the princesses from Shalazia's grasp without hurting them? I'll keep Mario busy."

Gallileo smiled back "We'll work something out and have them safely removed from the kingdom."

"Weegee!" Mario called from the tunnel; the echo distorted his voice into an eerie taunt.

Luigi saw Gallileo vanish into the ether while Magnifico vanished in a flourish of darkness. He mustered all his courage to pretend nothing was amiss. Turning around to face his brother and seeing his new icy disposition and the dead look in his eyes. In his hand was another piece of the Prism Star, Luigi forced himself to smile "Great! You've got another piece."

Mario pocketed the gem "Only one more to find and it's in the Dark Lands. How come you came out here?"

"I was trying to chase down Magnifico, but she escaped."

"No matter, we'll get her next time. Come on, let's go to the Dark Lands!"

Luigi put on a brave face and marched alongside his brother down the mountain path. While he appeared relatively calm on the outside; he was terrified. He only hoped the long trek to the Dark Lands would give Gallileo and Magnifico enough time to save Daisy and Peach from Shalazia.


	14. From the eyes of bystanders

Wario and Waluigi could not believe their luck. First they were thrown overboard, then they washed up on a seemingly abandoned beach, then suddenly they arrive at this pristine kingdom where the roads were practically paved with jewels. If this was the bonus level after a game over, they could not complain in the slightest. They still remained silent, relying on their thief nature, to navigate the town and avoid the patrolling conjured guards. They deduced that the castle of this strange place would be where they kept the really good loot.

The grand halls appeared to be flooded in certain areas so they didn't try searching down there for too long. The upper levels proved more than sufficient. They took a break within an ornate bedroom overlooking the main plaza of the city. The upper levels still held many treasures that they were faced with a difficult problem. Even then, they had seen the passing of day and night through the windows. Yet they had not seen another soul in that castle, just endless chambers of treasure.

Waluigi sighed, shaking his head, hoping Wario would follow his line of thought. "Let's try this again… how are we going to get all of this back to your castle?"

Wario replied as he inspected a diamond the size of his nose "We'll carry it."

"With what?"

"Our arms." Wario confidently flexed the limbs in question.

Waluigi looked at the size of their haul with trepidation "Our arms? And of course, you're being completely serious."

"Hey, don't blame me because you have wimpy noodle arms."

"Have you seen the amount of loot we have so far?"

Wario gazed at the mound of flawless jewels and gold they had accumulated so far. The pile was as wide as him and taller than Waluigi. He shrugged "Yes, I haven't gone blind. Why?"

"This is after two rooms! There's no way we can carry this heist off!"

"Wait, so you mean we have to…" Wario dared not speak such a horrible thing so he exclaimed in a blurt " **leave** **treasure!** "

"I know, this is some messed up game over situation because we stole everything that wasn't bolted to the floor!"

"Still it's pretty weird how we haven't seen anyone… and this place looks pretty well maintained to be abandoned."

Waluigi added another observation "And I haven't seen any light switches anywhere, how is this place being lighted? I don't see any sign of electrical work here."

Wario sighed, noticing how agitated Waluigi was getting "Look, sometimes this happens when you go treasure hunting in strange places. Weird stuff goes down, but we'll make it out of here easily enough."

"No, we're not going to make out of here easily enough!" Waluigi was on the verge of a breakdown "Look, I'm cool if you want to do an electrician job every so often, I'm cool if you want to go karting or play sports together, hey, even stealing from well-known and occupied places can be pretty fun… but Wario… THIS IS RIDICULOUS! LET'S JUST DUMP THE TREASURE AND GO HOME!"

Wario laughed "Stop panicking, I do this all the time."

"But I don't! I'm used to a milder, less adventurous lifestyle!"

"Alright, how about this, if you stick with me through this and follow my lead. We'll be fine! After all this wraps up, I'll even go to a jazz club with you, I know you've been wanting to drag me to one for ages."

"Deal?"

"Deal, just no smooth jazz, Waluigi."

"But smooth jazz is so relaxing."

The duo of thieves paced down the hallways, the grandeur of this palace was overwhelming. They felt like they would be engulfed by a monster made of gold and jewels. Wario laughed a little to try and calm down Waluigi. They weren't related in any way, they just happened to become good friends after competing in a tennis tournament together; he could still remember encountering Waluigi who had just randomly shown up to play tennis that same day. Nobody even knew who he was so Wario ended up in a team with him because he was the leftover single. They naturally hit it off from there to become good friends.

Wario knew Waluigi didn't really understand the lengths of his treasure hunting or the dangers he had faced in the name of avarice. So he decided to keep quiet about the diamond he stole from Syrup which was tucked away safely in his cap. He noticed Waluigi stop at one of the windows overlooking the kingdom. Following his gaze, Wario looked at the picturesque town to see a group of Koopalings trying to be discrete. "They really need to work on their sneaking." He remarked "Maybe tie their hair up. Their silhouettes are too distinct."

Waluigi said "Looks like we finally have some company, maybe we should ask them for help?"

"I don't wanna do that, it means I have to share the treasure."

"But, we could also use them to collect more treasure. Besides, I think it'd be better if we had baby fire breathing monsters on our side."

"Fine, we do it your way. We'll try talking to Bowser's kids… right after we steal more stuff."

"I don't think they're his kids."

"Wow, talk about a family drama."

"I know right, they have no communication skills so no wonder Bowser's all messed up when we saw him. Maybe we should take him go-karting when we get back, he's pretty cool to hang out with and he probably needs a chance to vent about it all. Seriously, why can't people learn to talk to each other like we do?"

"Because they're not as awesome, smart, strong, cunning or handsome as us." Wario stated, it was not a question or an opinion; it was a fact to him. They high fived each other before continuing their exploration of the castle.

* * *

A loud crash of steel echoed in the desolate laboratory. Diabella took a deep breath, this development with the Mario Brothers and Shalazia was worrying to say the least. It had been a few hours since her friends returned beaten in every way possible. Fandango had confirmed the death of his beloved chain chomp, the loss of a prism star shard and the death of Figaro. On top of that, Ludwig and his cousins had disappeared too with no indication of where or why. She was overwhelmed by what emotion to feel at that moment as she despondently tended to her notes. It was just under an hour when Fandango had come to deliver the news; she had no chance to check in with Magnifico yet. Gallileo then materialised from the ether, ectoplasm leaking from her eyes.

Diabella bluntly said "I know about Figaro. I intend to speak with Magnifico about this."

"No, she still feels horrible about the last time you told her off. She doesn't need that now." Gallileo blew her non-existent nose loudly, the act made no logical sense. "Give Magnifico a little time to grieve… on the other side of things, Luigi, the green Mario Brother wants to help us but we need to save his princesses from Shalazia in return."

"Fine."

"What? That's it!?" Gallileo's sadness boiled to rage as she manifested before Diabella "You heartless dog! How can you be so numb about all this!? Magnifico and Figaro are your loyal friends and now one is dead and the other is traumatised! Fandango is our younger brother and Shalazia has used this Mario as a way to take more away from him! And all you have to say is FINE!?"

"What am I supposed to do, dear sister!? The time when we could cast a spell and fix everything is gone. We have to live with the reality that we are not powerful like we were before."

Gallileo looked to the ground weeping "I know… I can't help anyone anymore… I can't help farmers grow their crops quickly, I can't reform the earth after a natural disaster, I can't heal the forests devastated by fire… I… nature doesn't answer me anymore…"

Diabella placed a hand delicately on Gallileo's head, feeling it pass through the vapour of her ghost body. "You think I don't miss the companionship of the Lord of Lightning? That dragon was a powerful ally and a good friend of mine… but when I lost my magic and Shalazia tried to force him, to bend him to her will like everyone else in her life, he destroyed the very tower we created to house his brood in an insane rage… He's probably disappeared into the Dark Lands to try and find his kin."

"But dragons are extinct… he was the last patriarchal storm dragon… oh no…" Gallileo shivered "Do you think Shalazia knows just how much damage she's caused, not just to us but to everyone that was tied to the efforts of the Arcane Kingdom?"

"I don't think our sister cares… It still hurts, you know… that piece of my soul that Shalazia took… you and Fandango might be able to recover your powers one day, maybe even recover your true forms because it's a curse rather than an end game for you two… I never will." Diabella growled, pointing at the recently assembled steel coffin in the corner. "But I am not entirely powerless and I do not give up easily, look in the window of the vat."

Gallileo hovered over the stainless steel capsule, noticing the putrid coloured goo bubbling within. If she had a nose she hypothesised that the fumes would knock her unconscious. Within were bones, a shell and a skull with a familiar dent.

"Fandango bought Figaro's remains to me… I don't see the point in grieving yet. At the same time, I don't want to give anyone false hope that he'll rise again."

"But… how is this possible?"

"The original spell left residue magic in his bones, perhaps King Boo can help. If not, he'll do everything in his power to try and help me."

Gallileo smirked "I think deep down, he still loves you sis, even though you're very different people now. You were a great couple in life and you didn't break up because of anything either of you did to the other."

Diabella blushed a little, then regained her composure "Make sure that vat is on the next Spectre Express to the Twisted Manors." Diabella then headed towards her chambers "Well, if I'm to rescue princesses from Shalazia I better get going now so can you please do that for me and keep it to yourself… how many am I looking for?"

Gallileo answered, levitating after her "Two… has she really been playing us this whole time?"

"Of course, Shalazia was always a lying scoundrel that was envious of everyone and everything. She has a habit of backstabbing schemes because she lacks the power to do anything else. But what she forgets is that **I** am the Herald of the Shadow Queen and given the recent events, I already have a Champion of the Shadow Queen." She laughed cruelly "She's lost before she even began."

Gallileo paused, raking her brain as she put the pieces together "You mean Ludwig's mum?"

"Given what happened to Ludwig, Lucia is the first to succeed in the rites," Diabella tilted her head as she gazed at Gallileo's puzzled face "There were others, Beldam, Marilyn, Vivian, but they failed the ritual, they didn't head my warnings. They even begged me to try the ceremony again. The idiots were too corrupted by magic, they were rendered useless as vessels and their minds are broken. I doubt they remember anything of their former lives now."

"You…" Gallileo's confusion turned into blind rage "You turned his mother into a monster!?"

"No fate is forced upon the unwilling, his mother wanted me to impart the wisdom of the Shadow Queen to her. She wanted this power and asked the right questions, so I gave her the answers she desired because I saw her potential… even though her kingdom did not."

"What do you mean by the kingdom? What did her family do to her?"

Diabella shrugged "Beyond our own experiences, royalty in most regions of this world relegate women to be nothing more than breeders and pretty faces to adorn the arm of their king. Lucia did not want that and personally, I felt it would be criminal to let such a brilliant mind go to waste."

"I see your point but once again I disagree with your methods. It would've been better if you had talked to me so we could work out a better solution."

"She requested this fate, so I told her how to make it happen. That's what the Herald does; I give information to those who ask."

"I thought you knew better so I'm a bit disappointed right now." Gallileo shivered, she had known Diabella for centuries and during that time she had grown as a person. This was sounding too similar to who Diabella was when they first met. "What are you going to tell Ludwig if he ever asks?"

"The truth."

"But he'll hate you."

"That's fine, it's his choice to do so."

"I don't like how Shalazia manipulates you like this. Astrapi, please don't lose that sense of who you are now. Don't give into that old hatred you felt when you first succumbed to a game over."

"I know Gaia, I know I react badly at times… and I thank you for calling me out on it."

"That's what sisters are for."

"Well, given what you've told me, I have to pay our sister a visit. I also have a feeling Scaramouch is helping Ludwig sneak into the Arcane Kingdom to save his cousins. You don't have come if you don't want to." Diabella smirked back "It's not like you're my pet minion or anything freaky like that."

Gallileo sighed wearily "So, you're heading out now? Want me to feed your experiments?"

"Yes, that'd be great, thankyou." Diabella emerged from her chambers in her clockwork armour, complete with her battery backpack harnessed to her body. She readied her trident and headed towards the tunnel to the catacombs. "Don't wait up and keep an eye on Magnifico, I'll check in with her when I get back."

As she entered the familiar, foreboding tunnel that wound deep beneath the earth, she felt the vibrations overhead. She knew in that moment from the homing device that Scaramouch had just left the area with her backup hovercraft. Diabella didn't have much time to catch up with them.


	15. Frozen Lies

There was something off about the auras of this kingdom. The search for her wand could wait for now. Shalazia could feel the presence of the Star Spirits in that blonde princess she had captured. She could feel small tremors of flame, chaos, in those filthy Koopas she had claimed. She carefully began to meditate in her chamber, focusing on what this disturbance could possibly be. It felt like pure, unfettered darkness from the depths of the Underwhere. A power she had not seen since Agaricus had graced the world with his Cult of the Dark Star. It was a whisper in comparison to him, yet that purity was there. Shalazia then touched her hands to the water floor, conjuring more celestial eyes to materialise from the depths. Water bubbled and swirled to create beads of light that moved as wisps. She sent her sentinels throughout the castle to sweep it carefully for intruders.

"If I get that shard of darkness… the Shadow Queen will have to notice me!"

Instantly she detected two thieves in the upper chambers that she would deal with in due course as one was marked by a Star Spirit. There was also a third disturbance; a familiar aura to the Star Spirit in Princess Peach was somewhere deeper in the earth. The target of her curiosity, the presence of darkness, came from another group in the west wing, overlooking the sea. She instantly summoned her frozen armour and halberd; the magic solidifying with an elegant stream of auroras into her desired equipment. Shalazia took to a murderous warpath as she stormed to the western wing.

But first… she needed to set a trap for the star child…

* * *

Infiltrating the Arcane Kingdom was easy, way too easy. There was no resistance, no patrolling guards, not even a dog to bark at them. Ludwig was immediately suspicious given that he had seen frozen knights patrolling the town and actual people living in the town. But it was completely desolate by the time they snuck in. They had a hasty plan on the back of a cocktail serviette; they shouldn't have made it in this easily. Iggy, Lemmy and Wendy didn't appear to be reading into it that much. They traversed the various cavernous hallways of bygone opulence. Although Ludwig found it a little too gaudy for his tastes; far too many priceless gems and artefacts on display for his liking. Small precious things that could easily slip into pockets or generally get lost without anyone noticing. Whoever lived here did not care for wealth if they were willing to splash it everywhere.

They had begun on the lower floors, systematically checking every room they came across for their missing comrades. The further they delved the more unsettled became; perhaps it was from living in the Rhapsody and the Malevolent Mires. In contrast, this castle was stark and bright like a hospital or an operating theatre. Every trinket, every embellishment was perfectly symmetrical in some way. He began to realise that every object was duplicated right down the facets on the decorative gemstones. No dust dared to blemish any of the surfaces and hinder their lustrous shine.

Wendy noticed him slow his pace "You ok, Luddy?"

He shivered, breathing out a cloud of mist, was it always so cold here? "Let's just find them and go."

"I don't think we're the only ones here." Wendy pointed to a disturbance in the perfect palace. Fine frames and gold cages lay twisted and broken on the ground. Looking at the rest of the symmetrical patterns, it was easy to deduce that gems had been stolen.

"Very perceptive of you." Ludwig jumped into Wendy's arm with a yelp. They both looked up to see Waluigi leering over them, his confidence waned with each word "Relax, it's good to see another face because we're lost… completely lost and I think I'm going to… lose… it…"

"Hey guys!" Iggy came running back down the hall "Wario and Waluigi are here…" He then noticed Waluigi "How did you get here? You were just down the hall?"

"What are you talking about? Wario and I got separated a while back… must've seen something shiny… I didn't think it was a problem because we've lost each other a few times in here…"

"How long does it take to regroup?"

"I don't know, last time I talked to him we were having a breather in the upper chambers. Then we split up to clear out the third floor and we were going to meet here, on the second floor."

Wendy raised a manicured eyebrow "Stealing spree?" Waluigi nodded back.

Lemmy then paced back with confusion marring his usual jovial face. He arrived at the group who gazed at him expectedly to which he muttered "The door froze over… I don't think we can melt it."

Ludwig suggested "Maybe if we combine our flames we can get through?"

"Worth a try." Lemmy gestured them to follow. The walls began to shimmer with the reflection of water as the floors began to transform beneath their feet. Before it resembled marble but now it was slowly melting to ice.

"This place is getting weirder, come on. We need to move faster!" Waluigi snapped as he picked up Lemmy and began to sprint. "Don't bother going to the bottom floor now, it's nothing but a flood."

"You think this place is made of ice?" Wendy asked between breaths "I thought it was diamond!"

Iggy pontificated "I've never ice that melts at will. What manner of scientific power is this?"

"It's enchanted." Ludwig stated while panting "This is obviously the domain of a powerful cryomancer…" Waluigi and Lemmy looked at him like he was speaking gibberish "Ice mage."

Upon arriving at the mysteriously frozen door, Ludwig was relieved to see a stairwell ascending to the next floor close by. Behind them the path had mostly melted into a deep river that defied the laws of physics. Yet the crystals embedded in the floor and now submerged in the water were pulsing with a strange energy. He did not care to test it.

Waluigi stood closer to the icy wall; mist was already dancing over it. Completely clear and free of impurities, it was a telescope to a distorted reality. He felt Lemmy climb closer, over his shoulder, to get a better look at the scene unfolding within. They saw Wario and another Waluigi along with a blue haired woman dressed like a princess.

* * *

He was so close… a real sapphire as big as his head was just hovering on a pedestal in the middle of a seemingly empty room… it was too easy… why didn't Waluigi stop him by using his stupid logic and caution?

Wario glared at his partner in crime who equally sheepish from not saying anything. Upon touching the large floating, seemingly unguarded sapphire, the entire chamber froze over. The entire room had been a perfect circle with beautiful ornate lines along the floor and ceiling. Sapphire was inset on these patterns then framed with gold to create a striking mosaic. How quickly it had all disappeared beneath a blanket of sleet and snow the second he touched that gem.

The woman before him was beautiful, not as beautiful as Syrup he noted, but still attractive. Her hair resembled flowing water, alabaster skin, big luminous gold eyes, she looked like all the other princesses he'd seen. Except they never wore armour made of ice and wielded a menacing gold and sapphire halberd. Wario rolled his eyes and picked his nose "So who are you meant to be?"

"I am Princess Shalazia of the Arcane Kingdom." She stopped for a dramatic pause, expecting him to gaze upon her with awe.

"And?"

She frowned "What do you mean, and?"

"Exactly, and?"

"And what?"

"I dunno, you're meant to tell me."

Shalazia narrowed her eyes and frowned "Are you always this irritable?"

"Maybe."

"You've fallen right into my trap, star child."

"Yeah, I know I'm one of those… so what? It's no big deal. Wait, how did you know?"

"I've been searching for someone like you for a very long time."

He shrugged "Sorry lady, not interested." He flexed his arms "But I can't blame you for trying."

Shalazia was revolted by the very idea, she threw her halberd to the ground in fury "I'm not proposing you moron! I'm here to capture and imprison you!"

"Oh, nah, I'm good. I'll just take my gems and go. Come on, Waluigi." Wario casually slung a huge bag of priceless gemstones over his shoulder.

"Guess we have to do this the hard way." Shalazia waved her hand; the snow around Waluigi erupted into skeletal claws to grab him. The conjured limbs mimicked her own as she twisted him like a doll. "Would you surrender yourself for the safety of your friend?"

Wario stopped in his tracks "Uh… you're not serious, are you?"

"I will rip him limb from limb." Shalazia hissed "And then I'll move onto your little pirate girlfriend, what's her name?" A snow statue appeared in the pirate's likeness "Captain Syrup. She's on the ocean a lot… I can control the ocean if I want to." The statue shattered to accentuate her point "She'll have no escape from me."

"You're going to drag Syrup into this too?"

"She made herself part of the problem when she allied with my sister."

"Who is your sister?"

Shalazia broke her menacing demeanour; it was proving most difficult to remain serious in the presence of this irritating man. She screeched "Don't tell me you have no idea what's going on!"

"I honestly have no idea what's going on."

Shalazia shrieked like a banshee "Are you serious!?"

"Lady, I'd say take a chill pill but you seem a little bit too chilled. Maybe some spicy food would help."

"I'm still going to kill your friends unless you stay here."

"Come on," Wario sighed, reluctantly putting the sack down "You can't do that."

Shalazia pouted like a child "Yes I can."

"No you won't."

Shalazia moved her hands and ripped Waluigi in half. Wario froze right there as he watched his closest friend fall to the ground in bloody pieces. She chimed "And now, for your little pirate."

"No!" Wario threw the gems on the ground "No. I… I'll stay… I'll do anything you want me to."

"Good." Shalazia snapped her fingers as ice began to creep and crawl over Wario. He was slowly being encased in a frozen prison. She smugly relished his despair, swaggering over to him and clicked her fingers. The remains of Waluigi melted into snow… it was just an illusion.

Wario attempted to struggle but found his arms and legs frozen solid "Wait… that was just a snow copy!?"

"Yes. Swapped him in when you separated from your friend." Shalazia smiled proudly "Really fooled you."

"If you could just freeze me solid, why bother with all the threats?"

"Because this way is more fun for me." Shalazia squeezed his nose like rubber horn "Now shut up and be dead to the world."

Wario couldn't protest as he was frozen into a block of ice by then. Shalazia retrieved her halberd to notice the silhouettes on the other side of the ice wall.

"Uh-oh, she's coming this way!" Iggy panicked, leaping from floating ice block to ice block to reach the stairs "Let's get out of here."

Wendy added as she threw Lemmy to Iggy "Don't need to tell me twice, that woman is weird."

Waluigi remained at the frozen doorway "I just watched myself die… Wario… was upset that I died…"

Ludwig grabbed his arm and pulled him up the stairs "Yes, yes, it's very traumatising. Now let's get out of here before she does the same to us!"

A few moments later the ice wall began to crack; fine lines at first then large ripples like lightning. Shards then chunks of frost exploded from its surface before it finally shattered into millions of pieces. Shalazia strode confidently through the hallway, the water beneath her feet froze instantly as she carefully lifted her skirt to ascend the stairs.


	16. Lightning Strikes

Each second passed with a drop in temperature… frost began to gather and grow, crystallising over every surface of the palace before their eyes. Breath turned to white mist as they kept running and slipping on the frozen floors. Décor became encased in icy prisons while they scrambled to find any door that would open. The clack of heels and swishing of fabric echoed behind them; heralding the villain pursuing them. There was no choice as fire met ice in a desperate struggle to survive. Iggy, Lemmy and Wendy led the way as Ludwig and Waluigi kept a close eye on the princess following them. The strange sound of explosions echoed from somewhere… above perhaps? It was so loud they struggled to think clearly.

Wendy hacked a little, her throat raw from breathing flame; they kept finding more and more doors. She wondered whether Shalazia was making more obscure tunnels everywhere. Lemmy was passed out on Iggy's shoulders; his small stature meant he did not share their fortitude. Wendy raised a hand for them to stop running, calling the others to skid to a halt. She stated "We're not getting anywhere. We need a new strategy."

Iggy frantically blurted "Well, come on, we need to keep running! Come on! Come on! Come on! GO ALREA-" A slap to the face from Wendy calmed him "Right, no, you're right. This isn't making any sense…"

Ludwig nodded "As we saw before, she can manipulate light in the moisture in the air to create illusions."

"I don't think we can get rid of all this water… this whole palace is filled with it."

In the background, Waluigi was tapping on the frozen walls with his face pressed against certain spots. He remarked while keeping his hand over a panel "This one. We break this one, we get out of this maze."

"How can you tell?"

"Please, I'm a master of making traps and I know a false wall when I see one."

"Well Luddy, you have the strongest flame." Wendy gestured to Ludwig with a knowing look.

"Also it would be great to free me from this wall…" Waluigi announced without turning or moving "My face is stuck to it."

Ludwig considered his options but decided not to burn Waluigi to a crisp. Instead he breathed a red and orange flame that melted the outer layer of ice allowing him to free himself. Now with everyone safely behind him; Ludwig cleared his throat and released a neon blue flame. The ice melted instantly to reveal a foreboding doorway leading to a pitfall. With no other choices, they leapt into the pit and fell into darkness. The shadow of Shalazia appeared at the doorway of light as they spiralled out of her grasp.

* * *

The night sky danced with light as arcane crystals pulsed through the air. Diabella and her precious bugs kept formation in the sky. Wind tore past them like the cold breath of the dead. She leapt from the back of Bismillah to Belzebub then back to Silhouetta where she ran along its spine to return to Bismillah. All of which done to avoid the death lasers of ice and light emitting from the castle's defence system. Shalazia must have been occupied at that time; she was never that great a shot unlike the automated enchantments. Those frozen golems could hit anything out of the sky when armed with the right combination of staffs and sceptres. The icy entities sprinted along the rooftops of the castle while Diabella circled around.

She readied her trident, a signal to Silhouetta as the giant flying centipede gathered enough static from the clouds. Silhouetta resonated with electrical energy which was diverted through Diabella's trident to strike the top of the castle. The golems were short circuited by the boon of energy. However it was only a matter of time before Shalazia conjured more. Diabella signalled her bugs to soar closer; spying a giant window to accommodate her landing. When all was in position she commanded Bismillah to charge at that window; smashing through glass, ice and stone with ease. First stop was the barracks, that's where Shalazia often hid her frozen prisoners.

* * *

Their prison was hard to decipher, it was an opulent chamber with all the comforts they could want and yet… it felt more like a trap than a place to relax. There was something about it that Larry couldn't quite put his finger on. He was an excellent cheater at any game or sport so he had this skill of knowing when he was being played for a fool. Fortunately, Roy and Morton followed his lead but Bowser Jr just ignored his warnings.

At the moment the rude prince was jumping on a gilded bed like a trampoline. While the giant mattress looked tempting, something wasn't right. The entire room was eerily similar to their own living quarters back at Bowser's Castle. Only it was made of ice so clear it formed various shades of blue and everything was frivolously lined with gold. Larry was disgusted by the waste; you could be using that gold to bribe people! When it's made into furniture you can't exactly give it to someone. You make it unusable. The whole place made him think back to those old fairy tales in the Mushroom Kingdom where everything was opulent and decorative without serving a lot of purpose. By now, Roy and Morton had managed to break every chair in that room by sitting on them. Even the air smelt wrong here, far too clean and moist for his liking. Not the usual the scent of brimstone, sulphur and musky earth he'd become accustomed to in the Dark Lands. It wasn't natural.

Roy was the first to speak "How long before anyone comes to explain what's going on?" Larry shrugged back. Roy was less than pleased "Then why don't we smash our way out!"

Larry sighed "I think this villain is a lot more cunning. There's probably some weird spell on this place so don't. Touch. Anything!"

Roy flipped a table, the ice shattered from the gold frame as it hit the ground "We don't even know who this villain is!?"

"Which is why we need to play it cool and only break the bare minimum of things. Remember! We got shot out of the sky! Our airship is trashed! Where would we even go if we left!?"

The walls began to rumble. Hairline fractures appeared in the ceiling as each crack rippled in the air. Diamond dust exploded from the ceiling as another group of prisoners fell through. They collectively crashed on the mattress strategically positioned bellow sending Bowser Jr flying into the opposite wall. Morton lumbered over and began to pick them up. He erupted with a laugh and hugged all of them "It's everyone! And some gangly guy with rickets! They came to rescue us!"

"Waluigi!" The gangly guy responded as he weaselled out of the Koopa's crushing hug "My name is Waluigi."

"Yeah, you're that guy that hangs out with Wario, you go karting and play sports with king-dad…" Roy fell silent as he said that term of endearment. It felt so wrong now.

"Anyway, we're in big trouble. Some crazy ice sorceress has got us all cornered. She's already trapped Wario. Got some crazy fixation on Star Children."

"That means king-dad's in trouble too!?" Roy cursed himself again for saying that. Why was he being so foolish and sentimental? Surely the fear of the situation wasn't getting to him?

"You mean king-uncle." Ludwig corrected, he quickly combed his hair back in place with his claws. He paced around the room looking for a door when he realised there was none. "I'll explain later." At this point he realised there were no points of entry "So how do we get out?"

"Well there was a door right…" Morton blinked, he could've sworn they were led into the room over there. "What the?"

"This woman is skilled at illusions. I don't think I have enough fire to break us out."

"Leave it to Roy and I, we'll smash this place to pieces. It's just ice, right?"

"Not without my supervision, we don't this place falling on our heads." Iggy rebuked before he started studying the architecture of the room "Waluigi, help me out with this!"

Larry felt a sense of relief by this turn of events, with all the Koopalings together there was nothing they couldn't do… except maybe fight the Mario brothers… but they weren't here so there was nothing they couldn't do. Within seconds the first wall came crashing down under the combined strength of Roy and Morton; Larry didn't even realise they were off and running. Already Waluigi and Iggy were taking the lead to mark which walls to break down. He glanced back to see Ludwig across from Bowser Junior.

"Get going Larry. We'll be along shortly." Ludwig informed, he turned back to the defiant prince and gritted through his teeth "Your highness, we really should be going."

Bowser Junior taunted "You're not the boss of me." Then poked his tongue out in a mocking way.

"Surely you see that you're in danger right now. We got to get out of here."

"Nah, I'll just stay here. This is one fancy place. I reckon I'll be just fine."

Ludwig breathed deeply and fought the rage that made him want to rip Bowser Junior's hair out "Your Dad is not going to forgive us if we leave you here."

"That's not my problem. That's yours."

They were so distracted that they did not notice another person enter the chamber. The wall melted to water allowing her to enter with ease before freezing over again. Shalazia stood at the edge of the room in silence as she stalked them. She could not care less about the Koopa prince; it was the other one she wanted. She moved silently through the background; the two fools were bickering so neither even knew she was there.

Bowser Junior was shocked when a spear of ice collided with Ludwig's head. It shattered against the side of his head, dusting his hair with frost as he was knocked down by the force of it. A shadow loomed over them as the ice princess revealed herself. Bowser Junior had never seen a princess like her before; he was used to them looking all innocent and pretty. This one was beautiful, sure enough, but it was a menacing beauty. She looked like she needed no moustachioed plumber to save her. No one would be foolish enough to try kidnapping her in the first place. Over her gown was a crystal cuirass, pauldrons and faulds. Her staff had frozen into a halberd as she lorded over them like an executioner.

"You'll do well as a bargaining chip for the last Star Child." Shalazia mocked as she pointed at Bowser Junior, her magic sprang to work and froze him solid on the bed. Ludwig was slowly clambering to his feet, dazed by being caught off guard. "And you, if I perform the ritual, I get your powers of darkness… then the Shadow Queen will make me her Champion… then I'll finally be worthy for him."

Ludwig felt she was the monologue giving type of villain so he distracted her "Are you suggesting you are doing all this for the sake of winning someone's affections?"

"Well of course, the King of the Mushroom Kingdom, Lentinellus." Shalazia swooned and twirled like a girl in love "Have you met him? He's the most amazing man I've ever met, handsome, smart, incredible… if only he wasn't married to Stellara…"

Ludwig kept his eyes on his surroundings, thinking of a way to escape "Oh, a homewrecker, yes?"

"It's hard to compete with Stellara, she's a Star Spirit in human form… all ultimate powers over Light and Destiny. He even forgave her for sleeping with his knight, Romulus and having that brat, Rosalina, before he married her. But if I'm become as powerful as her, he'll leave her for me!"

"So… this Stellara was in a relationship before he decided to marry her?"

"Yes, she was with some knight over a king. Is she insane? Why would you just forget the desires and advances of a king over some lowly servant of the court?"

She sounded completely insane to him but he played along "So while you are doing all this… what is he doing to be worthy of you?" He edged closer and closer to the freshly broken exit.

"He doesn't have to do anything. He's perfect the way he is." Shalazia then noticed him moving and froze his escape path over in an instant. "Tricky little lizard, aren't you?"

Ludwig sighed and shrugged back "I try."

"Now then, shall you come peacefully or do I need to muzzle you?"

"You are going to do it anyway? I saw you capture Wario."

Shalazia smirked and raised her hand to conjure frosty manacles to imprison him. He saw that confident, smugness in her face vanish abruptly to be replaced by shock and disgust. Steel flashed before his eyes as someone forced their way between him and Shalazia. The deranged princess leapt back, her halberd sliced cleanly in half. Ludwig saw Diabella before him with a broadsword in her hands. The undulated blade gave away that it was a flammenschwert… the same as the knight mentioned in the book given to Iggy by King Boo. Given the gilded pommel, Ludwig suspected Diabella snatched it off a wall as she ran through the palace. But nonetheless, her stance was the same as the illustration from the book.

Diabella tilted her head and taunted playfully "Seriously, we've had all this time alive and you haven't even worked on your melee skills? Shalazia, my darling little sister, what have you been doing all these years?"

"NO! You will not wreck this for me, Astrapi! You horrible, mean, nasty… bitch!" Something was wrong, Ludwig noticed Shalazia's body crackle with lightning for a moment. There was electricity in the air.

Diabella smirked "Careful, I thought you were too lady like for swearing?"

Shalazia erupted then and there, shrieking 'bitch' at the top of her lungs as she wilding swang her broken staff remains at Diabella. Streams of lightning manifested and struck madly throughout the room. Ludwig felt Diabella grab him and move him to evade every strike perfectly. Her tirade couldn't last the magic waned and Shalazia was left panting and breathless.

"You fool, the more you try to control lightning, the more you force it to disobey you." Diabella growled venomously "If you go to lengths of stealing someone's magic at least learn how to use it adequately."

Shalazia threw her staff remains to the ground "As if you can talk, you just use trinkets to replicate the power I rightfully claimed from you."

"No… I learned something new… I embraced the changes you inflicted on me…"

"Then why are you here shell-sympathiser? Want to show your love to these ugly monsters?"

"There was never any reason to hate Koopas until Lentinellus came along…" Diabella pressed a charm on her overcoat. Bismillah crashed through the wall and partially perched on the floor, four legs in the room and four legs clinging to the outside of the building. She coldly said to Ludwig "Get on. We're leaving now."

Shalazia spat in rage "Well… ANSWER ME ASTRAPI!"

Diabella turned her back on her and went to join Ludwig on the back of Bismillah.

Ludwig saw hell freeze over in Shalazia's eyes. The ancient princess snapped her fingers while shrieking curses conjuring a golem with elaborate gems along its body. It shone with a strange energy as it emitted a beam of light towards them. Diabella shoved Bismillah back and free fell towards them, the beam passed through her leg. Her foot and calf tumbled from her body into the town bellow. Diabella landed on Bismillah as the giant insect took to the skies with lightning speed. In the distance Ludwig could see Belzebub and Silhouetta soaring back towards the Malevolent Mires. He helped Diabella adjust herself "Are you alright!? No wait, surely you are not. You lost your leg!"

"Ludwig." Diabella moved her leg closer, curiously not bleeding in the slightest. She rolled up her pant leg to reveal the stump of a prosthetic limb. "I lost my feet a long time ago. My lower legs and one of my knees are fake."

Ludwig blinked, still reeling from what had transpired over a few seconds "But… how?"

"Three headed chain chomp."

"So… you and Shalazia are sisters?" Diabella nodded, he asked "And your real name is Astrapi?"

"It was the first name I had, yes."

"So, you are Warlord Astrapi? The knight who fought Emperor Gowser during the Era of Ire."

"Yes. That era was a mess Ludwig… I don't even know why we got messed up in that fight… everything was right with the world until **he** came along."

"That Lentinellus guy?"

"Yes. He ruined everything for everyone." Diabella sighed and turned her eyes to the horizon as she piloted Bismillah.

"Why were you out here anyway?"

"Had to rescue some princesses, but I could only find one in the barracks… I wonder where Shalazia hid the other…"

Ludwig fell silent at the realisation that the random stories from that book were true. Diabella and Shalazia were living, breathing proof of that. However, it did not explain how these monarchs ended up the way they were now… something that he continued to mull over on the quiet flight back. For now, he was safe and so were the others. The only one they couldn't save was Bowser Junior so they clearly needed to work out how to get him back before Bowser noticed.


	17. Calm before the storm

The hellish motifs of the Bone Pit were quite pleasant to Roy. Since arriving in this swampy town he quickly found it welcoming and refreshing; no wonder Ludwig stayed. The tavern he now stood in was a pit of debauchery and fun set in a cabaret bar from the Underwhere. He kept an eye on the crowd, noticing a fine looking Koopa wander past the bar and headed upstairs to the courtyard. Roy felt a glass of whisky press into his claw, Ludwig calmly informing "He's straight, got a girlfriend and not curious at all."

"Damn," Roy grumbled, sculling down his drink in one go. Since returning from the Arcane Kingdom Ludwig had sat him, Morton and Larry down to tell them everything. He was still reeling from the realisation that Bowser had siblings, they were all cousins and Morton and Wendy were his brother and sister. He tapped his knuckles on the counter and quickly ordered another. "He's hot."

Ludwig shrugged, gesturing him to follow him to their booth "Give it time before you try your luck, things don't start getting fun around here until about two in the morning."

Roy smirked widely "That's a relief, the castle's no fun for me lately." He groaned to himself "Even the Electrodrome has slim pickings these days."

"Those fools are nowhere near your calibre. Besides, you would grow bored with them after the first week. Why are you such a hurry to find a mate? Our species' lifespan is about two to three centuries."

"True, but I just want a little fun that's all. Don't look at me like that, not everyone is fine with being a loner who just reads and listens to music. Besides, hanging out with a butterball like you makes me look even more ripped." He mumbled quietly as they walked "But I guess, it's good to see you again."

"I suppose you've missed having someone with a brain help you navigate your problems. I've missed you as well, being around you always makes me feel so much smarter and makes my hair look utterly fabulous." Ludwig sniggered at Roy's frown as they headed back to their scheming.

Their booth was towards the back corner, close to the bar and far enough from the stage so that you could hold a conversation. Larry was already seated, flicking through his pages once more with a furrowed brow. Iggy was busy at the laboratory with Diabella. Morton and Wendy had decided to tour the town. That Waluigi guy ran off as well, claiming he saw a smooth jazz club downtown that he wanted to visit. Lemmy only jumped in his seat, he had dropped in from an overhanging light.

Roy asked Ludwig as they sat "So uh… why did you leave anyway? I didn't think Junior smashing your piano would make you snap."

"Probably a lot of things," He sighed grimly "It all started when I gave Bowser a plan to take over the Mushroom Kingdom. It seems no matter what we do, the Mario brothers always get in the way… so I suggested that we kill them in their sleep then get on with the plan. I'd say kill the princess too, but Bowser's got some weird obsession with her."

Larry smirked back, briefly looking up from his books "A bit morbid, but seems like a good plan."

"He did not agree, then I proposed we simply cast a spell on both of them that would freeze them in time, so technically they were not killed horribly but also completely dead to the world and thus unable to save the princess."

Lemmy tilted his head "He didn't like that either?"

"Not one bit, he then went into a rage, lectured me and ordered me to get out of his chambers."

"Come to think of it, he freaked out on Iggy too." Larry revealed, waving his pen in the air as he recalled the memory "He suggested we make an army of twenty foot death laser robots. Easy enough for Iggy to do on a lazy Sunday… and Bowser freaked out at him too."

"That was like when I had that cough and that weird green stuff that melted through the carpet came out. You know, coz I ate those herbs in Kamek's apothecary." Lemmy laughed out loud "He wasn't happy with that either."

"He once broke up a sparring session between Morton and I when we started drawing blood. I mean, it's no big deal, we heal up really quickly." Roy added, folding his arms over his chest and sitting back "And he completely freaked out too, Morton almost lost his eyebrows from the fireballs being shot everywhere."

"That's really weird, well, seeing as we actually broke the _everything_ a few times. Those little things don't seem so bad… How long ago was it for all for you?"

Ludwig, Larry and Roy answered "Three years."

Lemmy scratched his heads, tongue poking in and out of his mouth as he thought "And then two years ago, Bowser tells us, we're not his kids… which kinda messed everything up for us."

Ludwig rested his chin on his hand "Why would he panic though? Is it because we are older now and are not bossed around as easily?"

"He may be an angry psycho to everyone else, but he's always been pretty cool with us." Roy was equally flummoxed "He didn't have any problem when I came out a few years back. He was actually really supportive."

"Maybe it's something to do with this…" Larry placed one of the plastic covered sheets in the centre of the table "The missing link to those pages we found, these are Bowser's siblings. Maybe they traumatised him. I mean, look at this picture, look how tense and forced Bowser's smile is... maybe, we reminded him of them?"

Roy gave the photos a quick glance but then reminded them of more pressing matters "Alright, what do we do now? We kind of left Bowser Junior…"

Ludwig reminded "Only because he was being a jerk."

"But we still need to work out a plan to get him back. I guess Junior is our cousin after all."

"And if anyone is going to be able to break Junior out, it's either us or King-dad…" Larry shook his head and corrected himself "I mean, king-uncle, and he ain't anywhere near here last time I checked."

Ludwig reminded them "Still, I think we should run the plan past Diabella before we set out."

Morton cheered "Yeah, her crazy giant bugs were awesome!"

As they went on marvelling the few times they had seen the Lightning Queen in action, Ludwig remained silent. He didn't have the heart to tell them that all of them were caught in an ancient family feud between mages and knights of the highest calibre.

* * *

The usual peace of the mires was undone. Ancient trees crumbled beneath the beast's claws. The soil churned and split into scars; uprooting the small carpets of grass and fungi that carpeted the swamp. The water's slimy surface broke and scattered as debris and fallen trees were shoved ruthlessly away from the beast. The skittering creatures fled the area; covered by the wisp-like mist emitted from the various slugs still crawling on their fallen homes. While these giant, primordial bugs were larger and more fearsome than this foul tempered beast; they knew when to strike and when to hide… and this was one of those circumstances where you hide.

Cold. Dirty. Muddy. Dank. Disgusting. Bowser had had enough! First he was shot into the ocean by Captain Syrup. Then he washed up on some strange shore devoid of civilisation. Then he marched onwards through a festering swamp crawling with giant bugs and now… he was itchy from the static in the air. Something was generating a lot of electricity nearby. He shoved trees and colossal mushrooms aside as the earth squelched and sank beneath his talons. He stomped through the mire as nature did everything in its power to get out of his way. The bugs even stopped coming anywhere near him as he wandered around the bank of a dark, foreboding lake.

At the edge of this lake was a giant tower covered in wires and poor architectural choices. It may have been a proper watch tower centuries ago but it was now rebuilt with whatever scrap was lying around and in whatever method would work. It felt like the tower was held together by the sheer will and belief that it wouldn't collapse under its own weight. Beyond the tower was a strange glow that piqued his interest and drew him closer to the structure like a moth to a flame.

Bowser continued to march through the swamp to arrive at an empty moat. Maybe it had water in it long ago, who knows? The earth at the bottom was carpeted with layers of moss in shades of blue and green. It glistened beneath the light cast behind the tower suggesting it was more slime than plant at that point. The drained moat was riddled with tunnels and doorways leading into the unknown; some looked made by hand with architectural frames in place; others were cracked and ripped into the earth like something had burrowed through. The sight of two familiar giant bugs told him who lived here when he noticed Bismillah and Beelzebub frolicking and playing in the moat like puppies.

After evaluating the distance between the edge of the moat and the tower in the centre; Bowser retreated a fair distance before sprinting back towards it. He leapt towards the flimsy looking tower with every intention to smash it to pieces. Soaring through the air in that moment made him feel invincible and awesome! He could easily smash this pile of junk to pieces. The feeling was short lived as he face planted it into the side of the deceptively sturdy tower. He immediately dug his claws into the metal as he best could to avoid slipping into the slimy pit and giant bugs bellow.

A metal hatch then opened and much to Bowser's horror and surprise, it was Iggy. He was definitely in his element given his giddy and smiling face. Iggy called back into the tower "It's just my uncle, can you open something to let him in?"

"Uncle?" Bowser sighed to himself "So you know all that?"

"Not all, just that we're related… all of us Koopalings are here in Rhapsody, you know… maybe we could talk about it now you're here?"

"Yeah, just let me work out what's going on first."

The side of the tower rumbled and opened to reveal and observation deck as part of Diabella's laboratory. Bowser fell onto the industrial balcony with little grace and poise. When he finally came to his feet again, he saw Diabella sitting on her own operating slab toying with prosthetic legs made of scrap metal. Iggy was nearby as he picked up his notebook and continued documenting her actions and experimental process. A frozen Daisy was across the room in some kind of glass freezer from what he could tell. To the side of the room on a lounge was Waluigi who simply told Bowser "I got kicked out of the Jazz club…"

Bowser cocked an eyebrow "Let me guess, still trying to convince people that smooth jazz is best?"

Waluigi chuckled "You know me too well, Bowser. Anyway, given all your family drama, Wario and I think we should go go-karting or play tennis or go dancing once things settle down."

"You know, that would be great… actually what are you doing out here? You're not exactly the adventuring type."

"Wario talked me into it… I thought it would be a nice sight-seeing trip… I was so wrong!"

"Well, I guess you'll be safe enough here. Still don't know what's going on…" Bowser then remembered what he was doing and where he was "WAIT A MINUTE!" He dramatically turned to Diabella "I got a problem with you! Stop taking my minions and showing me up! You can't have Iggy too!"

Diabella didn't look up from reattaching her new metal foot "Kid was curious about how I work. He's an adult, I can't stop him."

Iggy tapped the door of the fridge; he carefully studied Daisy's imprisoned form "Hey Diabella, I reckon I could thaw this princess out. Our flame worked pretty well back at the castle."

"I know you guys could help me out here, but this princess isn't frozen so we can't just thaw her out. She's been turned into an ice statue so we need someone to undo the spell." Diabella bashed the joint of her ankle to lock it into place. She gingerly set her replaced foot down to see if it could handle the weight of her body. Satisfied that all was secure she tapped her feet on the ground with a smile "All set." Diabella turned to Bowser "So what brings you to my part of the world?"

The Koopa King growled "Well you dropped me into the ocean and I washed up here… remember!?"

"Oh yeah, sorry about that, been having a bit of family drama myself. My sister, Shalazia is being a melodramatic pain. She basically destroyed the Mushroom Kingdom and put the blame on me for trying to stop her."

He was genuinely surprised "You got bothersome siblings too?"

"Just one, not like you, you had three to deal with."

"So, what exactly is the problem with yours?"

"Given her actions, I think she's trying to rebuild the Prism Star so she can ascend to the Star Road and meet with a guy she's got a major crush on."

Waluigi and Iggy exchanged puzzled looks; Iggy finally saying "Uh… do you guys know each other?"

Bowser nodded "Kind of, we don't exactly trust each other. But we know of each other's existences. I'm still angry at you for everything you did to Lucia."

Diabella shrugged nonchalantly "She made her choices. I just gave the knowledge she wanted and besides, she's not gone fully. She's still in the game, Bowser."

He snorted flames "And you've told the Koopalings about everything!"

"Not everything, I just gave them the ability to work out that they were related. You can fill in the blanks for them."

Waluigi interjected "Listen Bowser, I think you need to know what went on at Shalazia's castle. You see… your son is still a prisoner there."

"Yeah, she's also got Wario trapped too." Iggy piped up as he bounded back to Bowser.

Diabella added "And another princess, the blondie from the Mushroom Kingdom."

Bowser folded his arms and considered everything "But no signs of Mario or Luigi?"

"They're running errands for her, but knowing my sister, they've probably been cursed to do her bidding." Diabella began cleaning her workbench and dumping her spare leg parts into a crate. She noticed the piqued curiosity of her guests "This isn't the first time she's tried doing this, you know? But I've never seen her go about it like this, she's usually more direct. She's being pretty sneaky now, too many paths to track… I can't see what she's fully doing."

"Nonetheless, I should get Junior back." Bowser began stomping towards the door "I'm going to this castle and getting him. I'll be back soon."

Waluigi reminded him "You don't even know where you're going!"

"Don't worry, I know exactly what I'm doing. I saw that fancy ice palace from the beach. I'll smash that place to pieces in seconds."

Iggy recalled what they went through in that castle and nervously asked "Diabella, you reckon you could go with him?"

She shook her head "No, my weapons and my bugs are still recharging. It'd be stupid to retaliate now. I wouldn't be able to fight effectively. It'd be smarter to wait and then strike as a collective."

"That's just because you're not as awesome as me!" Bowser proudly announced and struck an awe inspiring pose "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it! After all, I got the power of fire, she's got ice. It's a no brainer as to who's got the upper hand." He leapt out of the laboratory through the same opening he fell through and sprinted through the mires.

While Bowser confidently set off into the night, Diabella knew it would not go to plan. Then again, Bowser was always a stubborn person and try telling a giant Dragon Koopa what to do. No, the smartest thing was to remain hidden and recover then strike again.

"Waluigi, I need you to go to the town square and post a notice or anything to get the word out that we need a spell that can undo an ice curse." She turned to him "If anyone questions you, tell them you're working for me and we'll have a way to save this Daisy and work out what she knows."

Waluigi nodded confidently and left through the main door to head back into Rhapsody.

"And Ludwig said you don't like being called the Lightning Queen? Looks like you're being pretty royal right now, bossing people around like that." Iggy remarked while observing her actions.

"Oh shut up, there's nothing regal about me." She snorted a laugh "Anyway, I need you to gather the Koopalings and my remaining Steampunks. Ludwig will let you know who they are. We need to collate everything we know so we can work out what Shalazia is up to."

Iggy performed a mock salute and headed out to Rhapsody; leaving Diabella alone in her laboratory. The uneasy tension in the air reminded her of the calm before the storm. For centuries she had fought this secret fight with her sister, but now it seemed that Shalazia was in the position to perform the final act and win… whatever winning meant in this context. The world they knew was gone forever so what did Shalazia want to achieve?

Diabella feared the fight to come…


	18. Winter's Wrath

A clear night bathed the Arcane Kingdom in silver; it sparkled upon the shore like a jewel framed by the foreboding Thwomp Ruins and the festering Malevolent Mires. The silent kingdom remained a gilded cage with opulence and luxury present from the darkest alleyways to the castle's master bedroom. It was hard to tell where the lines of order even began as the whole kingdom appeared to be one harmonious play land. Sapphires, diamonds, pearls and gold were the building materials which would logically attract the attention of thieves like Wario and Captain Syrup. Yet the kingdom's isolation, army of frozen golems and insane princess was enough to deter visitors.

Bowser stood at the grand gates of this gilded cage; no expense was spared in creating this place. There was a cold, northern chill in this air as he observed that another building block here was ice… ice so frozen it did not melt in the slightest. The seemingly deserted streets made it so easy for him to just waltz right in to the kingdom. With all the bravado and confidence of a Koopa King; Bowser swaggered into the shiny, bejewelled domain and right towards the castle. From her window, Princess Shalazia could see the hulking, draconic monstrosity known as Bowser proudly marching towards the front door of her castle. With annoyance she put down her cup of her tea, adjusted her blue gown, took her staff in hand and teleported into the main hall.

The doors of the great hall exploded open in a great ball of flame only to whimper into gentle steam. Bowser paused at the doorway, he was expecting some kind of gauntlet or some great monster to block his path… he did not expect this. Sapphire and gold frames outlined every corner of the hall, every piece of furniture was gilded and embellished that he was amazed they didn't break under the weight of the gems. Yet it was all frozen beneath layers of jagged ice; contorting into spikes and swirls to make the hall look like that foreboding maw of a greater beast. He gently placed his taloned foot on the floor; black ice… like a deep lake caught in the grips of winter. There was no telling how far he would sink if it cracked.

In the centre of it all was a beautiful princess who looked so out of place in her harsh surroundings. She had that same air of innocence and kindness that Peach had; her hair and gown mimicked a cascading waterfall. Her golden eyes looked to him with understanding… this was not the deranged monarch he was warned of by Diabella. This princess was a delicate snow flower amidst a cold, frozen wasteland. She wept gently "Thankyou for coming, I had no idea how much longer I could hold on… she took everything from me."

"You must be this Shalazia I've heard so much about." Bowser snorted, not falling for her act "Actually, I was told you've taken something from me and I ain't leaving without Junior."

"Oh," She rose from her knees, her face had immediately swapped to indifference, almost annoyance "Look, if you want your son back, you have to take his place, Star Child."

Flames began to glow in his mouth and nostrils as he countered "No, I'm taking Junior with me and we'll both be going."

"I'm afraid not." Shalazia waved her hand and called an icy shield to come between her and Bowser. He reeled back in horror and stopped preparing to unleash a fireball when he realised that the crystal shield had Bowser Junior frozen within it.

Bowser growled "That's low."

"New deal, you cooperate or I kill your son." She smirked as cracks began to form on her shield "He's frozen solid you know, the shock of a shattering would break him into tiny little pieces."

Bowser waited for a moment, somewhat unconvinced that she would go through with it.

"I mean, you giant, scaly, ugly monsters are capable of love, right?"

Yet the cracks kept forming; a large chunk of ice near Bowser Junior's hair fell loose. A piece of usual ponytail was now in pieces on the floor; she wasn't bluffing.

"And, you do love your son, right? You wouldn't want him to die horrible, right?"

Bowser then raised his hands in defeat, he went to his knees before her, chastised and beaten. She smugly grinned, banging her staff on the ice to have it shatter into water. Bowser sank into the darkness bellow as it froze over instantly. Pleased with her work, Shalazia then studied the Koopa King's face. She wove her enchantments again to create a perfect snow sculpture of Bowser. A few utterings of a lost tongue and the illusion was complete as a Bowser ice golem came to life. The ice began to reflect the right colours which made it a near identical copy.

"Family… who needs it? It's just a weakness to exploit." Shalazia commanded the golem "Now bring me the child of darkness."

The ice golem mechanically left her wintery halls; Shalazia laughed to herself happily as she danced and twirled along the frozen floor. Soon enough Mario and Luigi would be returning. She would then have all the remaining pieces of the Prism Star and five Star Children to sacrifice in the ritual. Soon enough, she would be able to see her beloved again… and there was nothing her family could do to stop her.

A smile then appeared; Shalazia had a wonderful idea as she quickly went to her bedroom. She opened the small jewelry box that held two pieces of the Prism Star; a collection of diamonds that reflected a rainbow whenever light touched it. Given that she had three Star Children in her clutches, she decided to experiment with the forbidden magic she had learned from the Mushroom Kingdom. The same power that divided her kingdom during the Era of Ire. She began to focus, speaking in a lost tongue once more as the star pieces began to burn with a sinister, golden light.

* * *

It was peculiar how Ludwig found these swamplands to be so comforting now. Upon his first arrival to the Malevolent Mires a year or so ago; he had to admit he was a little intimidated. Yet having lived in Rhapsody, the bohemian steampunk town, and experienced how people made the best of this strange ecosystem. He appreciated their creativity. As its name suggested, the Malevolent Mires were just as ominous as the name suggested. All the plants either clung to life or were dead and rotting in the murky sludge that passed as water. The earth was soft mud, making it near impossible to get steady footing. The trees were mostly withered husks studded with moss and fungi.

However, if one changed their perspective, the Malevolent Mires was a truly beautiful place. The ancient ruins of bygone ages remained half sunk in the earth, begging to be explored and admired. Each was a testament to those who came before and preserved by the forces of nature like a treasure. Even though trees were husks, from those withered remains grew unusual bioluminescent fungi of all shapes and sizes. If you timed the seasons right, the entire mire was just as colourful as Rainbow Road. The denizens and keepers of this land were insects of gigantic proportions. Yet they were regarded as pets and were loved by the people of Rhapsody. They were not feared or regarded as disgusting.

At that particular moment, Ludwig, Iggy and Wendy were down by the shoreline of a great sludgy lake. The water rippled and danced as the aquatic centipedes went about their business. Strange insects, a cross between a mayfly and dragonfly, darted between the coiling centipedes playfully. The moonlight only made the cooler shaded fungi more luminous; the colour gradients of blues, purples and greens almost shimmered in the night.

"No wonder you stayed here." Iggy swooned at the sight of the mire "It's a paradise away from home. So many amazing monsters just hanging around."

"Rhapsody is great too," Wendy added as she adjusted her new bracelets, necklaces and bow. All were stylishly adorned by bejewelled skulls and the fabric of her bow was a spectrum of red and magenta. "They really have a wicked style going on and they cater to Koopa body types. How great is that?"

Ludwig smiled "I will admit, I have partaken in the fashion scene here too. It truly is spectacular. I must take you to my favourite tailor. She is a goddess of a seamstress. I cannot imagine going anywhere else."

"Oh, found another one!" Iggy piped up as he came across a small mushroom beneath a cluster of turquoise basidiocarps in a coral formation. This one was more like a pointed, withered pod than the typical ones you saw in the mushroom kingdom. "A flaming morel! So we need a few more for the spell to free Princess Daisy."

Wendy shook her head "I never thought we'd see the day where we're helping a princess."

"In all fairness, Daisy is cooler than Peach… well, I think so. She gets to rule over all of Sarasaland, not just one kingdom and have you seen the biodiversity of Sarasaland? It's freaking amazing! We should do a tour when we get airship privileges back." Iggy chirped as he continued on with a skip and a hop "I should bring the Chain Chomps here, they'd love it!"

"Well… he's off on a tangent…" Wendy rolled her eyes while Iggy disappeared deeper and deeper into the mire. She glanced to Ludwig "My time to get him?" He nodded back, she threw her arms up in the air "Fine, but next time, we're getting him a leash." She jested as she followed after their wayward cousin.

He took a moment to admire the scenery by the lake. Suddenly there was a change in the air as it became deathly cold. The centipedes madly fled the water and began to circle him defensively. Ludwig petted one of them and muttered "What is wrong with all of you?"

The centipedes hissed and screeched their mandibles towards an anomaly in their lake. The murkiness had faded slightly to be replaced by a circle of crystal clear water. The circle manoeuvred around the lake, swirling, dancing… searching for something or someone. It was peculiar to see a tiny puddle move independently within a lake; Ludwig took this as a sign to get away from here. When he tried to flee he bumped into something icy and solid, recoiling back to find himself face to face with Bowser… only it did not seem to be Bowser…

Ludwig then recalled what he had seen in the Arcane Kingdom and the extend of Princess Shalazia's magic "She got Bowser!?" He panicked and immediately knew he had to escape and warn the others back in Rhapsody. Wendy and Iggy would find their own way to return easily enough.

Fortunately the centipedes monsters of the lake lunged first; coiling around the Bowser imposter. Ludwig bowed in thanks then proceeded to breathe his hottest flame upon his icy opponent. Blue fire seared his throat and escaped to melt that golem to nothing. The puddle melted into the damp earth, becoming one with the mires. However, this was purely a distraction as he heard the centipedes hiss once more. He turned just in time to see a colossal hand of water engulf him and drag him into the depths of the lake. Only he felt like he would never reach the bottom.

By then Iggy and Wendy had back tracked enough to reach the lake's shoreline; they expected to see Ludwig waiting for them. Instead there were frantic clusters of centipedes wildly thrashing in the lake and skittering towards Rhapsody.

Wendy nervously stated the obvious "Where's Ludwig? Is this one of your pranks?"

"No… something's really wrong here… We better tell the others… and Diabella. If anyone knows what's going down in this side of the world, it's her." Iggy made sure to keep the mushrooms he'd collected safe by packing them into his satchel. He then took Wendy by the hand and helped her climb onto the smooth, plated back of one of the larger centipedes. The surrounding mire blurred into a haze of light and darkness amidst murky emerald and ebony hues as their insect mount charged onwards into the night.


	19. All falls into place

Numb, cold darkness… the sensation of a body adrift in nothingness. It was like being caught in the undertow of the abyssal depths of the ocean. The lost and forgotten realm of primordial beings who had never felt sunlight. A light then appeared above as the current grew stronger and dragged upwards with the rage of a tornado…

Dull light allowed the outline of the ancient chamber to come into view; emitted from series of gemstones set in the walls. Each was part of a larger pattern of runes that weaved into a giant tapestry across all surfaces of the room. The impossibly high ceiling reached beyond the chamber, high up into a mountain where bioluminescent moss clung to the remains of a sunken city. Ludwig knew this place, he was in the lowest chambers of the Thwomp Ruins. Not the bright, cheery temples he had raced through during go-kart championships. The lost, forgotten remains of the past buried within the mountain. The same ruins one had to traverse to reach the Arcane Kingdom and the Malevolent Mires.

The main feature of this chamber came in the form of a large circular pedestal that bore various crests and charms. The main pattern appeared to be a pentagram that branched out into spiralling meteors and nebulas. Whatever this chamber was; it was clearly designed for casting powerful spells. Magic that Ludwig guessed would rival the power of the Star Spirits themselves. Everything was too precisely laid out from the main pedestal, to its steps, the support pillars and the canals and pools of pure water that added to the patterns of the charts on the floor. It was then that Ludwig realised he being held above a larger pool; held in placed by icy manacles.

"Do you like it? Surely one as magically inclined as you can appreciate this chamber."

Ludwig then realised he was not alone. Shalazia stood before him, wearing that smug, cruel leer. On the main pedestal, frozen upon three of the points of the main pentagram were Bowser, Peach and Wario. Yet two places remained open and Ludwig had a feeling Mario and Luigi would soon join them. Out of dislike for this Water Princess, Ludwig spewed his hottest flame towards her.

She waved her arm, summoning a wall of water to stop the fire before it even singed her gloves. "This was my personal sanctum when I was the Enchanter of the Arcane Archives… before I realised I deserved better as a monarch." Shalazia laughed "That I deserved to be loved and adored like a queen or princess, not peddling magic tricks to ungrateful citizens."

Ludwig was shocked "Arcane Archives… you didn't actually **have** a kingdom?"

"Well it wasn't one when we took control. Bloodlines don't even guarantee you'll become royalty. No, it was basically a huge archive of all magical knowledge in the world. There was no king or queen, it was all democratically divided between the roles of Enchanter, Archmage, Chronicler and Huntmaster. You weren't just born to it either, you had to prove you were worthy of the title. Then again, the jobs were just about helping everyone and anyone who asked. No task was too small for us to look at… it was so bothersome."

"Actually that sounds like a reasonable way to manage the main source of all magical knowledge in the ancient world…"

"No, it was horrible, which was why I decided to impose a monarchy and call our kingdom an actual kingdom and I was to be its princess."

"You know, I am getting sick of your monologues. Why have you brought me here? In fact, why are you so obsessed with me?" Ludwig rolled his eyes "It is very worrying as you seem to be both a stalker, narcissist and an obsessive and demanding person."

"Isn't it obvious?" Shalazia tittered "You can use Shadow magic. Don't you realise how rare that is now that the Dark Star has been sealed away by the Mushroom Kingdom? That thousand year door has also put a stop to it too. The only way you can do it would be to commune with the Underwhere but then you'd have Queen Jaydes to contend with."

"So what? It comes naturally to Koopas."

"Exactly, why should you get such a power? I deserve it more!"

"Why?"

Shalazia stamped her feet in rage "BECAUSE I JUST DO THAT'S WHY! I DESERVE EVERYTHING I WANT AND NOTHING IS GOING TO STAND IN MY WAY!"

Ludwig sighed; an ancient monarch of an advanced kingdom was acting worse than Bowser Junior. "So… you want me to give you lessons in magic then?"

"I can't be bothered with that, I'm just going to rip your magic out of you and add it to mine… just like I did to Astrapi all those years ago."

"You are the reason Diabella cannot use magic!?"

Shalazia waved her hand to conjure lightning from her fingers "Oh yes. It was a shame I couldn't get Gaia or Floga's before they forced me to kill them. It would be nice to command earth and fire too."

"But how is that even possible?"

"Because I know the secret rituals of the Mushroom Kingdom Royal Family, that's why. King Lentinellus taught them to me, personally! This ritual allows me to steal magic from other sources, it's like removing your favourite code from a program letting you keep the good stuff and the original owner is reducing to a glitch, an error."

"You effectively kill them… you take their magic, you break their very existence…" Ludwig was disgusted by her attitude "So effectively, you have tricked everyone in this era into getting mixed up with your family drama and delusions of grandeur."

"Yes, I had to wait a long time for people so gullible and with you around, Astrapi, I mean, Diabella was so distracted by you that she didn't even notice me." Shalazia walked towards Ludwig with a cruel smirk "It all happened because you had to run away from home. Thank you for that! I could just kiss you… but I won't… because you're ugly and disgusting…" Shalazia waved to him "Well, I need to get back to my castle, Mario and Luigi should be back soon with the rest of the Prism Star." She blew a kiss to him as the water of the pool gently wrapped around her and carried her into its depths. No wonder Diabella took refuge in the mire; it was the only place Shalazia couldn't easily manipulate.

Alone in that chamber with nothing but frozen statues for company, only made the magnitude of Shalazia's words worse. But she was right… all this started because he ran away from home. It broke him in that moment as he felt tears roll down his face.

It was all his fault…

* * *

Kamek knew something was wrong when he spotted Mario storming towards their castle. The green one was walking briskly behind the hero of the Mushroom Kingdom. Yet something was amiss, Kamek and all the other Magikoopas could see it. Without Bowser at the castle they got everyone to either hide or flee the Koopa Kingdom; take refuge in the desolate plains of the Dark Lands for a while. For some reason, in all the years Mario had crashed their castle, he had never taken the time to pay attention to the surrounding landscape. He didn't appreciate the jagged mountains or the rivers of lava or the derelict ruins of long forgotten civilisations that once lived out there. In fact, no one really knew where those ruins came from… Bowser was not really the scholarly type and hadn't funded an archaeology program to find out more.

Luigi was tense with fear but did his best to hide it. Over the past few hours, since leaving Shy-Guy Falls, Mario had visibly changed. His hair and moustache had frosted over slightly as his skin went deathly white. His eyes, usually vibrant and blue, were dull and milky. Luigi knew it was because of the badges Shalazia gave them. He was thankful at least one of them was lost at the Twisted Manors. Curiously, the drawbridge of Bowser's Castle was down allowing them to enter easily.

The main courtyard was devoid of life; even the Bullet Bill cannons were empty. It was so odd given how chaotic things usually were in this domain. The eerie howl of the wind and the flap of banners and flags welcomed them. Mario ignored it as he moved with purpose to enter the castle properly. Luigi noticed a few Koopas and Goombas hiding behind a large statue of Bowser. He nervously waved to them to reassure them, signalling them to stay hiding before going after his brother.

He followed Mario through the symmetrical halls of Bowser's Castle. Any time, Luigi saw one of Bowser's minions close to revealing their presence he would distract Mario as best he could. He was grateful that they could clearly sense something was wrong and kept out of their way. Mario was like a blood hound, running through the castle towards the last piece of the Prism Star that was supposedly hidden. How he knew its exact location? Luigi surmised that cursed badge had something to do with it.

Finally, he caught up to Mario in what appeared to be the Koopalings' wing of the castle. Mario emerged from a pink door which indicated either Roy or Wendy's room; Luigi wasn't sure. A smirk that didn't belong on Mario appeared as he opened his palm to reveal the last piece of the Prism Star. He then said "Better get back to Princess Shalazia so she can purify the Malevolent Mires and fight the Lightning Queen."

Luigi felt his voice tremble "Yeah bro…"

"What's wrong?"

He lied "Just a bit nervous, being in Bowser's Castle has that effect on people, you know?"

Mario laughed a little "Not really, I rescue Peach from here a lot so I'm used to it." Luigi had no choice but to follow after his brother. Mario added "I'm sure we can take one of the airships back to the Arcane Kingdom. It's not like Bowser would mind, no one's home after all."

Luigi cringed inwardly; Mario had never been so uncaring towards others before… he had to remind himself that it was all the work of Shalazia. She was the one controlling Mario now. All he had to do was keep playing along. Perhaps returning to Shalazia would give him a chance to free Mario. Hopefully Daisy would still be at the castle, she always seemed to know what to do when he was lost. Luigi just towed the line and hoped for the best. The time had come to return to Shalazia and get some answers.


End file.
